Sunflower Fields Preschool, Erica Skelton, Maine Woman Entrepreneur Highlight

There is nothing else in the world as precious as our children. There is nothing more important to the future of the world than the nurturing and empowerment of our children. Children need loving, encouraging, positive influences throughout their lives, and most importantly during their formative preschool years. Moms and Dads are busy, most households are now two income based. We give all we can to our future generation, but no child can have too many positive adults to support and love them. This is where only the most special adults of the world who make a choice to work with children step in.

One of these special people is one of our favorite humans – Erica Skelton! She is the owner, founder, and operator of Sunflower Fields Preschool in Richmond, Maine. Sunflower Fields Preschool opened in 2016, and the B|A team makes a point to visit as often as we can.  Erica was working at a childcare center and attending school when she made the decision to follow a lifelong dream of being a childcare educator. Erica knew from her own childhood that she wanted to work with children. Even more importantly, she wanted to provide high quality care and education at an affordable rate. Any parent in today's world knows this is a rare gem in the child care industry.

“Children deserve respect and love.” 

Erica is equally passionate about educating other adults on childcare education and on the ways in which we can teach and lift up our children to break previous generational barriers that have often created negative cycles. Children are wonderful, inspiring, bright beings, who are not second class citizens just because they are not yet adults. When you treat a child like they are amazing and smart and capable,,,,,they live up to that expectation. 

Every child should have someone in their life as devoted and passionate about the education, love, and care of our future generations as Erica is. Children have 3 primary educators throughout their life: Parents, Childcare providers and then schoolteachers. Erica and Sunflower Fields Preschool represents exactly the kind of loving and engaging early childhood education experience every child deserves. 

“Everything we do is modeling.”

Sunflower Fields Preschool’s program is based on the Reggio Emilia approach.  “The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy and pedagogy focused on preschool and primary education. This approach is a student-centered and constructivist self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments”. – Wikipedia
Sunflower Fields Preschool is a QRIS step 3 program with 4 teachers It is a fully licensed Early Childhood Education Center, serving ages 2-½ to 5 and K-3. They also follow the 5210 Let’s Go initiative. They are currently at capacity until 2024, however Erica still encourages reaching out as things are always changing. 

Erica is an amazing teacher, business owner, and woman. We adore spending time with her, and learning more about her ideas and approaches to early childhood education. With people like Erica in our future generations' corner, we have so much hope for the world and the sweet children we are sending forth to make the world a better place for us all. 

https://www.facebook.com/sunflowerfieldspreschool/

21 High St Richmond, ME 04357

(207) 798-2364