- A South Omaha mom of 5, had a vision to start a daycare and now she’s receiving statewide recognition for addressing a critical issue
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Gloria Patricia Avalos opened her first Patty's Childcare Center in Papillion in 2018, while the daycare could hold up to 100 kids, she quickly realized there was a need to expand.
“Families in South Omaha were asking me for a location in South Omaha,” she said.
A year later, she was able to open a second location on S 13th st., this one holding 120 kids. Her second location got about halfway full, then came the pandemic.
“We got a full capacity and families still need daycare,” Avalos said.
Now, daycare staff receive about 3-5 calls a day from parents looking for a daycare for their children. Despite a capacity of over 200 kids between the two locations, they still have to turn many away.
Avalos and her staff are still determined to help families, they’re expanding yet again, planning to open a third location next to the one in South Omaha. The new daycare will double Avalos’ current capacity, allow her to hire more employees and will be open 24 hours a day, six days a week to better a accomodate families that work outside of normal business hours.
Avalos’ story of success got her recognition from the state, she received the Nebraska Champion of Small Business award.
Patty's Childcare Center plans to have their second South Omaha location open by August.
