Meet Saraa Natsagdorj of Laugh and Learn Child Development Center in Kennesaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Saraa Natsagdorj.

Saraa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I kinda fell into owning a daycare. I was living in Orlando and I had trouble finding a daycare for my son. I started doing some research online and came across a franchise and started talking to them. The only location was in Atlanta. So, I decided to travel up to Atlanta and visit the location they had suggested. I was impressed with the business plan and the opportunity to own my own business. I talked to my family and they thought I was crazy. They asked me, “What do you know about daycares!” They were right. I hardly knew anything about how to manage and run one. But, I knew in my heart this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. So, I invested my entire life saving, packed up my car and son and moved to Atlanta in 2010.

When our doors first opened, there were 30 children. We were still in the recession and I was over my head with bills. Things weren’t looking so good. Then the franchise decided to pull out of Georgia. I was left with 2 options. First, to close down and lose my life savings or stay and rename the daycare and do everything on my own. I decided to stay. It was the best decision I’ve made. I was able to cater more to the community on what they were looking for in a daycare. We slowly started growing and 7 years later here we are. We now have 230 kids, a Georgia Pre-K class and have 5 buses that we drop off and pick kids up for school.

For me, I’ve realized my American dream. I moved to the U.S when I was 21 and spoke no English. My first job was rolling silverware. Through blood, sweat, and tears I’ve worked my way to having a successful business and I couldn’t be happier!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. My first struggle was trying to work with the franchise. They determined everything and I felt I had no say in how to run my daycare. Then they decided to shut down all their operations in Georgia and that was a great thing, but at the time I was terrified.

Whenever you have as many kids as we do there are always hard times, but I try and limit the accidents and provide my parents a great experience.

Laugh and Learn – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think what set Laugh and Learn apart is we offer a great experience for our kids at a very affordable price. My goal is to be able to teach and nurture our great kids and I think we do an excellent job at it.

I know everyone falls on hard times and I try and be as flexible as I can with our parents. I feel we are one big family. We offer parents night out once a month because every parent needs a night out from time to time. We also make sure to have at least 3 festivals a year where we have bounce houses, face painting, and a petting zoo.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as being happy. We all spend so much time working you have to enjoy what you are doing. I also define success in how many kids return each year. It is an amazing thing to watch a child go from infancy and watch how they grow and develop over the years.

Pricing:

• Infants -$190 per week
• One year Olds-$180 per week
• Two’s -$170 per week
• Preschool -$160 per week
• Pre-Kindergarten – $150 per week
• Georgia Pre-K (state funded)
• Kindergarten -$150 per week
• Summer Camp -$150 per week
• Before and After School Care -$80
• Drop in -$50 per day

Contact Info:

• Address: 3030 Cobb parkway NW. Kennesaw GA 30152
• Phone: 770-917-5801
• Email: laughandlearnllc@yahoo.com
• Facebook: Laugh and Learn child development center