Today we’d like to introduce you to Antaya Cathey.
Hi Antaya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In January 2011, I worked for a before and after-school childcare center located in Duncanville, TX. Truthfully, I hated it at first. It was very apparent that I was only there for a paycheck—very disengaged with the entire aspect of it all due to a toxic relationship I was involved in at the time. My boss would not only talk to me about her expectations related to my position but also encouraged me about getting my life right with the LORD because she witnessed first-hand what I was going through outside of work.
Finally, after months of crying out to GOD for a way of escape from the toxicity and wanting more for my family, I obeyed the Gospel and became a Christian (July 2011), and that’s when life truly changed for the better! From here, I was eventually promoted to Director (2012-2017), had the opportunity to homeschool my children (2016), graduated with my bachelor’s in child development and Family Studies from UNT Dallas (December 2017), and a host of other accomplishments in between. In February 2018, I was hired as a Preschool Teacher with Head Start of Greater Dallas and found my true, sincere passion for Early Childhood Education, especially ages three to five!
After working with the agency of Head Start of Greater Dallas for three years, I felt moved within my spirit to step out on faith and pursue my own entrepreneurial endeavors pushing my teacher tee shirt business (February 2021). Business was great for about six months until I realized I wasn’t as prepared to be a business owner as I originally thought, so I set back out into the workforce. GOD blessed me to find a position with Child Care Associates as a Texas Rising Star Quality Mentor (September 2021) where I provided coaching and a level of expertise in Early Childhood Education to help support the quality of Early Childhood programs. However, I recently made the decision to resign from my current position with Child Care Associates (March 2023), step out on faith yet again, and open my very own childcare business!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, absolutely not! The road has been everything but smooth. If I’m honest with myself, a lot of the struggles I faced along the way were self-inflicted due to decision-making in certain areas of my life. Many times during my journey, I took my eyes off GOD and started to focus more on my own way as opposed to the Way Maker. I caused myself to become so consumed with the “how” I often would forget the “Who!” Glory be to GOD that He is a GOD of second chances! I’m back in focus ready to thrive in all He has for me!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Remember when I said I stepped out on faith yet again to start my very own childcare business? That’s right! GOD finally did it for me! After all these years of working to help support the dreams of others and their childcare programs, GOD has blessed me to finally be able to open and operate my very own childcare program—Dream Big Child Development Center.
Dream Big Child Development Center serves families with children between the ages of 18 months and 13 years of age in Glenn Heights and surrounding cities. Dream Big Child Development Center’s mission is to provide childcare that is flexible to the needs of busy working families in a nurturing, warm, and safe environment. Our goal is to add to the future of all children by creating a positive and proper nighttime and bedtime routine, operating Monday through Saturday morning from 6:00 pm – 6:30 am.
What sets us apart from others is that we are a licensed childcare facility which means we are able to service more children and families than most childcare programs in our area. After conducting weeks of in-depth market research, I found that there weren’t many childcare programs that offered evening/overnight care in Glenn Heights and surrounding city areas. Most were home-based businesses. Home-based childcare enrollment fills up fast though, leaving parents with very few options. For some, the typical workday runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; however, this is not the case for all families. Single parents, rescue workers, and employees in the retail, service, medical, and hospitality industries frequently deal with irregular time shifts, whereas these families typically need childcare that accommodates their demands and schedule. Overnight care is essential in several circumstances like such, and this is where Dream Big Child Development Center sought to fulfill a need!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising that most people might not know about me is that I started out strongly disliking the current work I do. I had no desire to work with children despite having my own. Yet now, I really can’t see me doing anything else. I absolutely LOVE what I do! It’s amazing what a made-up and changed mind can achieve!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreambigcdc.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Dream-Big-Child-Development-Center/100089819096796/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
