Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Gavaghan.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in NE Philadelphia and always pictured myself as an educator or working with children. I graduated from Archbishop Ryan HS and headed to West Chester University to pursue my bachelor’s degree in elementary education. While obtaining my degree, I started working in a child care center, and found a real passion for the 0-5 age group.
Once I graduated, I moved back home and was hired at Dumpling Grounds Day Care Center. While I loved working for this center, I realized I needed to make more money, so I left to work briefly in the School District of Philadelphia. I returned to DG after the owner offered me the opportunity to become a partner in the business. It was an amazing opportunity for me to work where I loved and grow in my role at the center. Although we had many years of ups and downs and changes, in 2015, I became the full owner of the center. Since becoming the owner, I’ve improved program quality, participated in several ECE initiatives, and raised the site to a 4-star site with Keystone Stars, while keeping the original intention and vision of the center started in 1979 for local families. Over the last year, I have engaged with legislators about the importance of high-quality care, I’ve added funded preK seats to our preschool, and I’ve applied for and been granted several improvement grants. For the last 30 years, I’ve raised 100s of children, and now we are seeing their children come through our doors. I’m excited for the next 30 years!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, this field is never a smooth road. Our budget is always tight, and Covid negatively impacted our business due to restrictions, costs, and staff retention. We are still recovering. Another challenge was finding a team with the same vision as me. After taking over the business from the previous owner, my business partner and I had very different ideas about how the business should be run. Quality over profit was always important to me, but of course, profit is also important. It has been a struggle to maintain quality while staying within our budget, but it’s something that is very important to me. Advocating for change is my biggest goal right now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cares Inc dba Dumpling Grounds?
At Dumpling Grounds Child Care Center, we’ve been caring for children and supporting families in Northeast Philadelphia for more than 45 years. We’re a family-owned, Keystone STARS 4 early learning center serving children from infancy through preschool.
What makes us different is that we truly believe relationships come first. We know every child is unique, and we take the time to get to know each child and their family. We want children to feel safe, loved, and excited to come to school every day. We also believe children learn best through play, so our classrooms are filled with hands-on experiences that encourage curiosity, creativity, and confidence.
One of the things we’re most proud of is the trust families have placed in us over the years. We have parents who attended Dumpling Grounds as children and now bring their own children to us. That says more about who we are than anything else ever could.
We’re also proud to be part of our community. We work closely with local schools, libraries, early intervention providers, and other community organizations to help support children and families beyond the classroom. We love creating opportunities for families to be involved and feel connected.
We also believe that great teachers never stop learning. Our staff is always growing through professional development and training so we can continue providing the best care and education possible.
At the end of the day, we want families to know that when they choose Dumpling Grounds, they’re joining a community. Our goal is for every child to feel like they belong, every family to feel supported, and every parent to have peace of mind knowing their child is loved, cared for, and encouraged to grow every single day.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the neighborhoods and how each feels like its own community. In the neighborhoods of Mayfair/Torresdale/Holmesburg where most of our families are from, it helps us to build trust in our business, and word of mouth is our biggest advertiser. I love Philadelphia pride, whether it’s the Birds, the Phils, or the language, we are proud to be Philadelphians. I love the diversity and getting to meet and work with people of all different backgrounds.
I dislike the red tape in all the licensing and regulatory processes. I dislike the cost of doing business in the city. Traffic, parking, and driving in the city are also issues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dumplinggroundsdaycare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dumplinggrounds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DGCaresInc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/6177017/admin/dashboard/
