A lot has happened in the week since I opened Miss Lorna's Learning Place. First, I received a call from a parent of a former student of mine who was supposed to start at my facility next month. He informed me that the subsidy he received from the state of Hawaii is only for licensed preschools, not family child-care providers. So the student will be returning to the preschool where I used to work.

Earlier this week, a couple visited my facility and seemed excited about sending their daughter here. We planned for the child to start next month. But after doing a few calculations and shopping around, these parents also decided to send their child to the preschool where I used to work.

I was very disappointed but soon realized that these types of situations will occur no matter what. I know that once the word gets out about Miss Lorna's Learning Place, I will be fully enrolled. I tell myself: "I've been open for only a week . . . give it time." At that point I got a phone call from another parent, who asked me to send her an application.

So far I still have only one child enrolled. She and her parents love the one-on-one attention she's getting. Her mother tells me that after just a week of attending my facility, she can see the difference in her daughter at home: She's using one crayon at a time, putting caps back on markers and learning the letter "A." What a sense of accomplishment for her 19-month-old daughter--and for me, too.