Mom who struggled with special needs child care solves it with business ownership

Ametrea Christion needed day care for her three children.

Her husband traveled with his trucking company, and she worked during the day. It isn’t always easy to find accessible, affordable and dependable child care – anyone with children knows that. But if your children have special needs, it can feel doubly daunting.

That was the case for Christion – two of her children are on the autism spectrum, with one child nonverbal, and another has ADHD. Then, the child care provider they were using was closing – and an opportunity presented itself.

She and her husband began talking about buying the business. For Christion, owning a business was part of her family’s history. Christion grew up in Sioux Falls, and her family owned a beauty supply store that catered to Black customers. “At the time, you couldn’t get that at Target for Black hair or Black skin.”

Was this the opportunity the right one?

“I quickly learned that running a business isn’t easy, especially when it comes to day care,” Christion said. Under her ownership, the day care grew to nearly 70 children, and she quit her day job to put everything into this new venture.

“We just put our heart and soul into this,” Christion said. “I was pretty green as a business owner, and there was a lot I needed to improve on.”

She connected with Jaime Wood, South Dakota district director with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Wood first met Christion when she was a speaker during Black History Month for a panel on small businesses. Wood visited Christion’s initial location and was impressed. “It was remarkable to experience the joyful and caring atmosphere of Wildflower,” Wood said.

She noted that child care is “one of the most needed and least provided” industries across the nation. Quality child care resources set the stage for a strong economy, she said.

“It correlates to a more stable workforce across all industries,” Wood said. “Additionally, children receive nurturing and learning opportunities needed for strong early childhood development, setting the stage to become productive citizens.”

Christion went through the emerging leader program to sharpen her skills. Meanwhile, Wildflower was outgrowing its location, and it was time to reconsider what kind of day care business she wanted to operate.

“I knew there were other families out there who have kids like mine — a kid with behavioral needs, making sure they don’t get kicked out of a day care and finding the right equipment for their sensory needs and providing the right care for kids on the spectrum,” she said.

Wildflower Academy was born.

She found a location – 711 N. Lake Ave. – and spent the next year remodeling. “I’m learning and taking notes,” she said. “We are ready to open our doors.”

Wildflower Academy is for kids of all abilities, Christion said. The new space has a capacity for 151 kids, age 6 weeks to 12 years old, for before and after school and summer care. Kids will be separated by age as in traditional day care settings.

But she also will have dedicated space for occupational therapy, speech therapy and other services, which allows therapists to come on-site to work with kids – rather than having parents leave work to get kids to services. Wildflower also will have an ADA-accessible playground and a sensory board for nonverbal kids.

“We have multiple spaces, so if there is a child here who is on the spectrum, they can find their area in the building where they feel like it’s their space, and they are welcome,” Christion said.

Christion believes an all-abilities setting benefits all children – and families. “Socially, kids learn from their peers,” she said. “I have seen children gain so much understanding and kindness from that early exposure.”

For Christion, it’s particularly meaningful. “When we were in school, they called them bad kids, but now they have a title and a diagnosis – if we can teach early that these behaviors are normal for a person like them, the future for their world will be a little easier,” she said. “I’ve seen children show so much kindness. It’s a benefit to be around people with different backgrounds and abilities.”

She has a background in health care and is working on continuing education in child development. “I’m hiring the right people and the right staff who are educated and able to give high quality care,” she said. “I have an experienced director and am finding the right people.”

Wood sees that as part of a strong business leader.

“Ametrea is looking to the future as she has the desire to provide leadership development to her staff,” she said. “She is interested in building the bench of additional potential child care operators/owners in South Dakota.”

The biggest quality is someone who enjoys taking care of children, Christion said.

“I know what I would want for my children and what kind of care I want to see,” she said. “I’m trying to find the right people to match that.”

Wood said that’s an asset. “She has experienced firsthand the challenges working parents face when child care is inconsistent,” the district director said, noting Christion’s services are unlike others typically found in South Dakota.

There are many resources available to small-business owners, she added.

“Business ownership is not a solo mission.”

She recommends many free and confidential resources, including Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers and others. In South Dakota, the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program with Startup Sioux Falls connects people and agencies. There’s more information at sba.gov/local-assistance.

“Ametrea is a great example of a woman small-business owner who consistently leverages many different SBA and state resources to navigate and grow her business.”

Interested families can call or go to wildfloweracademy.org to schedule a tour and reserve a spot.

Christion said it’s personal connections that build success and trust.

“It’s parent to parent, and mom to mom,” she said.