The opening of the Little Strivers Academy preschool dedicated to helping young and low-income families is a story of determination of San Jose State University graduate Gabriela Americo. 

The preschool is located at 340 Mission Ridge Drive, directly west of the Safeway in the Walmart shopping center. The small academy that is licensed for 14 children has an application to double that number to serve infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Rates are set by San Joaquin County for child centers which may be seen on line. 

Americo earned her degree in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University where she was a member of the multi-cultural sorority, Lambda Sigma Gamma that now boasts some 400 sisters who share a concern for low-income children. 

“My struggles have given me self-worth,” she said.  “I just go for it, there is no limit to my horizons. My mom gave me strength and words of encouragement: ‘You’re going to be fine’.”

Once her Manteca academy is solidly running on its own, her next goal is to return to school and secure her PhD in childhood education.

Growing up in a low-income environment and attaining a college degree, she recalls going to flea markets with her mother to earn money selling jewelry to make ends meet. 

Americo said her mother ran her own preschool out of her home when she was a young girl.

She remembers her own preschool, kindergarten and first grade teachers as being instrumental in developing many of her character traits.  

At the age of 10 her mother would drop her off at school an hour early on her way to work. She would sit near her locker waiting for classes to start.  In her boredom she found a math teacher who was working with his students prior to class time. She volunteered to help – becoming a tutor at that young age. 

At 16 and as a junior in high school she helped her mother — a single parent — develop her own home child care business.

 “I also have a special strength because of the children – kids in foster care – they go through so much,” Americo said.

She had once been a baby herself in a homeless shelter. When she turned 10 years old her mother took her back to see that facility urging her to strive forward and told her, “This is where you came from.”

When attending San Jose State, she remembers looking around and seeing all the homeless and having a desire to help.  She was working at a high school while going to college when she decided to get licensed to run a day care center, realizing she couldn’t work in the preschool systems for others. In 2009 she secured a license for after school care for six years.  

She had worked for the 4C’s firm as a child care coordinator assigned to check on other child care homes and report back with her findings. It reaffirmed that she couldn’t simply work  in an office environment but had to be with children. 

She helped her mom again three years ago open another child care facility over a six-month period before coming to Manteca in January of 2016 and working out of a small home. 

She now has a staff of six assistants in her school that she opened Monday along with her mother, Her assistant director is Estella Arranga – a longtime friend. 

Gabriela said family interviews are important to establish the needs of the children. She makes it a point to find necessary resources for families that can often be secured through San Joaquin County agencies.

 The school is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information go to littlestriversacademy.com or call (209) 665-7251.

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.