The ChildCare Foundry was formed in 2009 and is an entrepreneurial collective of likeminded individuals who are committed to providing high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). Our management team understands and experiences the same issues facing many of today’s parents/guardians, and excels at balancing the critical elements of ScuttleBugs being a school, business, and community member. We bring a perspective based on decades of parenthood combined with the wisdom and knowledge from each of our respective fields.
Sam and Geoff Penman identified the niche market of premium childcare as a venture they were passionate about. While at Universal Childcare, Australia (currently Only About Children), Sam was integral to the core project management team that opened and operated numerous state of the art childcare centers per year – all with the objective to understand and attain invaluable experience in the childcare industry. Her roles and responsibilities included all aspects of front and back end operations of the rapidly growing business. Displaying an aptitude for working with children and applying transferable skills from previous careers, Sam rose rapidly through the ranks from an entry level position to Center Operations Officer and Purchasing Manager for all new center’s set up. Sam’s duties included licensing and accreditation, planning and implementation of the curriculum, policy and procedure development, human resources, parent liaison, purchasing, scheduling and logistics.
Running your own business is a 24/7 responsibility, and something we not only take very seriously, but also hold near and dear to our hearts. This passion and the path we have chosen, has essentially melded our personal lives with a rewarding profession. At a time when change is occurring at a blistering pace, many daycare/preschools continue to operate with the same structures, staffing, operational models, and curriculums etc. they’ve had for decades. These facilities aren’t open to learning and growing alongside the children and are stuck; and that means their most important assets (the children) are not receiving the best caliber education and care available.
The main impetus and driving force behind ScuttleBugs, came after the owners had children of their own, researched the early childcare/education options available in the Bay area, and quite frankly discovered they were less than impressed with the majority of what was on offer!
As a result, our first ScuttleBugs Child Development Center in San Jose, CA, was founded – in 2011. Since that inaugural date, we have successfully navigated the path from start up, through the first formative years, to surpassing a major milestone and celebrating our 10th Anniversary in 2021! The carefully constructed business model and master plan, which draws from global ECE leaders such as Europe and Australia and the educational approaches they utilize, has stood the test of time and is reflected in the outstanding results of our pupils and the fierce loyalty of our families and staff.
The model proved to be very successful and met high request of the community, so in January 2023 we opened our second ScuttleBugs Child Development Center in Boulder, CO. As with any labor of love, ScuttleBugs’ inception involved its fair share of blood, sweat and tears. Over the course of the first ten years of life, we’ve experienced our fair share of spit up, poop and boogers. I think it’s safe to say that as with any new parent, though we may not have been entirely certain of what to expect, we have risen to the challenges, worked through the tribulations, and continue to grow, learn and thrive!
