Building a palace

Trehab Center

Lynnette Ryman

Lynnette Ryman knows that kids dream of magical places, castles and kings and comforting things. She had a dream of owning and operating a licensed daycare facility where little princes and princesses could enter and feel comforted and secure. Lynnette would name her day care the "Children's Palace."

Although Lynnette was a certified elementary teacher and had attended more than 200 hours of early education workshops, the responsibility of three children and juggling bills made the possibility of owning her own daycare facility seem almost impossible. She was working full time at a low-income job and raising three children of her own. Unreliable child support and day care added to the hurdles facing her dream.

Lynnette came to the Trehab Center in September, 2003 to learn more about the Assets Trehab program. She wanted to help children believe in themselves, but the staff of Assets Trehab first had to help Lynnette believe she could succeed. Although she had the qualifications to obtain a daycare license, she lacked business training and funds, areas in which the Assets Trehab program has a successful track record. Lynette agreed to attend the intense six-week training program, sacrificing to get to class two evenings a week.

When she had completed the program, Lynnette developed a comprehensive business plan and secured rental space in her borough building. She applied to the Trehab Center's revolving loan program, funded through the United States Department of Agriculture. Her loan was approved and she soon opened her "palace" and began to realize her dream.

Currently 20 children are enrolled in Children's Palace where the motto is: "Your little treasures are safe with us." The day care center is aimed at working parents and long-term child care and employs four professionals in addition to Lynnette.  It accepts subsidized childcare fees, making it an economic as well as an educational asset. Within the next few months, thanks to her accomplishments and outstanding reputation, Lynnette will open a second Children's Palace in a neighboring county, continuing to meet the needs of many rural parents and children.

Assets Trehab is one of many innovative programs the Trehab Center offers to low income citizens of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties.