January 2020 spotlight: Elisa

This month we want to shine a spotlight on Elisa Leialoha, a beloved director, teacher, and home-based provider from La Junta, Colorado. Elisa, originally from Maui, Hawaii, has been in early childhood education for 26 years, and has been providing care and education in Colorado from her home-based program, Little Treasures Preschool, for 7 years (from 1998 to 2003, and then from 2018 until now).

When asked what she loves most about working with children, Elisa said, "I truly enjoy spending time with kids. I love how their faces light up when they learn something new. It is an incredible feeling knowing I can make a difference in a child’s life. I am forever grateful that this is what I get to do full time."

How did you get into early childhood?
I had bad experiences with teachers and learning as a child… I felt children will learn more in a positive learning environment. I wanted to be the person I needed when I was younger for the kids I have the opportunity to work with. I took child development workshops in high school and decided this was the field I wanted to be a part of, so then I started taking college courses for my teaching degree.
I have been working with children professionally for the past 26 years. I have done everything from being a child care center supervisor and director, a preschool teacher, an infant and toddler caregiver, a licensed family child care provider, a children's camp director, a youth leader, a professional clown and a nanny. I have lots of experience working with infants and toddlers, preschool children, and teens. For as long as I can remember, I have loved teaching kids and making learning fun. I opened our preschool to provide families a high quality early childhood education for the first five critical years of a child’s life. Children are motivated to learn when they have opportunities to make choices in an environment that is enriching and stimulating. We provide a safe and nurturing place for children to develop to their optimal potential. Our little school is focused on enhancing the development and learning for children by supporting and engaging parents/guardians, and families in all we do.

 What do you like about your job?
I spent 10 years in Hawaii working for Maui Family Support Services Early Head Start. I was the center supervisor/director for both the Wailuku and Lahaina centers. During this time, I worked with different types of children and had the opportunity to teach children with special needs. I worked with lots of families from many cultures, and had the experience of supervising teachers. I learned so much about myself and realized how much I enjoyed conducting child development workshops of my own. My favorite part about being an educator is being able to talk to children who have been in my care that are now in college, married and have children of their own. It is an amazing feeling knowing you made an impact on a child’s life. I also enjoy seeing the excitement in a child’s eyes as they are learning something new.

To contribute to Little Treasures Preschool's Wishlist, click the image below.

What would you change about the early childhood field?
If I was given the opportunity to make changes, I would wish that all children would be in a positive learning environment with teachers and caregivers who truly enjoy working with children and families. I would hope that all schools had the resources needed to help the children and the families they are working with. I have my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education Administration, with a minor in child development. It would be so awesome if years of experience can help with the cost of college. I think that would help so many teachers in this field.

How do you impact children and families in Colorado?
Little Treasures Preschool encourages children to express themselves and learn by exploring the world around them through hands on activities, guided educational experiences, and role modeling.  We work with parents on child development assessments, develop individualized lesson plans to help build on child strengths, and create school readiness goals to help each child be ready for kindergarten. My overall goal is to help children have a lifetime love for learning, enjoy books, be independent, be a creative thinkers and learn friendship skills. We want children to be ready to enter Kindergarten.
I believe all children are treasures and high quality child care is important. Early interactions and experiences have a strong influence in a child’s brain development. The early years shape the way children think and learn. We want to help make a difference for a child’s success in school.

Do you have a special moment that you experienced while working with children that you would like to share?
I remember my first paid nanny job when I was 17 years old. I was caring for a two and three year old 4 times a week. My favorite memory during the few years I had the opportunity to work with them was on a rainy afternoon in Maui. It had just stopped raining and the sun was coming out. The three year old was so excited about a double rainbow in his backyard. We went outside and were observing the rainbows… we talked about the colors we saw and the cool puddles left in the yard from the rain. I then told them let’s see what happens if we jump in them. Giggles filled the air as the kids jumped in the puddles. We played with mud and created cool sculptures. I remember standing there and was looking at big smiles on their faces and suddenly realized how lucky I was to spend time with “Little Treasures” and how amazing it was that parents trusted me with the most valuable thing they had… their kids. This moment changed my thinking when it comes to child care. I became more intentional with what I was teaching and what experiences I provided for any child in my care.

As a thank you to Elisa for participating in this month's Spotlight, we are gifting her an entry membership to NAEYC and COAEYC! Do you know someone who works with children and families (teachers, therapists, administrators, cooks, bus drivers--anyone!) who deserves to be in the spotlight? Fill out this form or tweet your nomination to @coloradoaeyc using the hashtag #COAEYCspotlight.