Hello! We are the Sanchez family: Carlos, Chrissy, Amina and Ameera, the founders of Let’s Be Friends Academy (LBFA) on the Northside of Jax. LBFA was born from our dream of building a childcare center where Carlos and I would be excited to send our two girls every day– a place that would feel like home, where they could use their imaginations and enjoy being children.
It all started back in the “before times” of December 2019, when I attended a mandatory meeting at my girls’ childcare center (Amina and Ameera were 1.5 and 2.5, respectively). At the meeting, we were informed that the center was shutting its doors in just three days! As soon as I left, I was on the phone to every childcare center that I could Google in the area, and I soon found out I was living in a childcare desert!
Of the few centers that I was able to tour, I ended up on waitlist after waitlist. Some centers could only take one of my two children, or informed me that I would have to wait 3-4 months until they would have availability to take both. It didn’t take long for me to go home, put on my entrepreneurial hat, and say to Carlos, “We are going to build a Childcare Center.”
I wanted to design a place that the girls would love, a place where they could play outside, where they could have raincoats to run in the rain, and where they could basically act like they grew up in the 80’s. Oh, and it HAD to have the biggest tricycle track around!
I knew I wanted to hire a Preschool Director–someone amazing, experienced, and bilingual. I would go back to school and get a second degree in Early Childhood Education. Sound extreme? Maybe… but I was upset, determined, and wanted something great for my girls. Carlos turned around on the couch that afternoon, looked at me standing in our kitchen, and said, “Okay, if that’s what you want to do.”
It all started back in the “before times” of December 2019, when I attended a mandatory meeting at my girls’ childcare center (Amina and Ameera were 1.5 and 2.5, respectively). At the meeting, we were informed that the center was shutting its doors in just three days! As soon as I left, I was on the phone to every childcare center that I could Google in the area, and I soon found out I was living in a childcare desert!
Of the few centers that I was able to tour, I ended up on waitlist after waitlist. Some centers could only take one of my two children, or informed me that I would have to wait 3-4 months until they would have availability to take both. It didn’t take long for me to go home, put on my entrepreneurial hat, and say to Carlos, “We are going to build a Childcare Center.”
I wanted to design a place that the girls would love, a place where they could play outside, where they could have raincoats to run in the rain, and where they could basically act like they grew up in the 80’s. Oh, and it HAD to have the biggest tricycle track around!
I knew I wanted to hire a Preschool Director–someone amazing, experienced, and bilingual. I would go back to school and get a second degree in Early Childhood Education. Sound extreme? Maybe… but I was upset, determined, and wanted something great for my girls. Carlos turned around on the couch that afternoon, looked at me standing in our kitchen, and said, “Okay, if that’s what you want to do.”
AND THAT IS HOW IT ALL STARTED!
Months later we stumbled upon 3 acres which I knew would be the perfect spot to build a giant playground for all the children to explore and play. For years, we passed by the property where Let’s Be Friends now stands, and Amina and Ameera would wave and say in their little voices, “Hi property; change the lives.” This place is our family’s mission together: to give back to our community by providing a fun, safe place where your children can come learn, explore, play, and have the time of their lives.
It took much longer than expected, but every time I get the opportunity to explain our vision to someone new, I get goosebumps. The joy I witness in parents’ smiles as they watch their little ones enjoying the outdoor art studio, garden, or tricycle track, makes every hurdle worthwhile.
This project started out as a simple thought that I had while driving down Main Street after touring yet another center that couldn’t take both of my girls. But it has evolved over the years into a much bigger desire to enrich our community by providing a much-needed service. Carlos and I never want another family to feel like we felt. Defeated. Helpless. Hopeless. It was incredibly exhausting and frustrating not being able to find childcare in our area that could meet our needs.
We created something brand new here at our center, and we are incredibly proud of it, but we know that our place is not for everyone! I am a HUGE believer in letting children be children. My girls climb on things, get muddy, play in the rain, explore until the sun goes down, eat too many popsicles, and get paint all over my stuff. We have boundaries and we have rules. Yet, I have learned there is a time and place for everything. Right now, their time is to enjoy being children, to explore, learn, and grow.
We are so grateful to all of our incredible LBFA families, and we would love to add you to our community. Feel free to reach out to us anytime at letsbefriendsacademy@gmail.com. Together, we can create a place where childhood is cherished, where learning is an adventure, and where friendships blossom.
Welcome to Let’s Be Friends!
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