USING YOUR PASSION TO SERVE OTHERS

By Trishna Buch
In their lifetime, everyone has a calling. And when you
can take that calling and make it your career, you can
say that all your dreams have come true. This is the
case for Nina Sanchez, who is the director of St. Mary
Of Miraculous Medal Early Childhood Center.
Sanchez came up with the idea for the ECC in March
and spent the summer months remodeling the building
with the help of her family, in order for the location to
be open for the new school year. “Come about March, I
was ready to do something different,” Sanchez told me.
“I had been a stay-at-home mom and I decided that I
was ready to do something and get out of the house.”
Sanchez was approached by a friend who works at Our
Lady Of Fatima School who told her that Father has a
vision to open up an early childhood center. “And I said
perfect! I can do this and help get it going, so I can
put my son in and continue to go to school.” Sanchez
is currently in the process of earning a Bachelor’s in
Business from University of Houston-Clear Lake and
was adamant that she would help get the center started,
but did not want to direct. “It was my husband who told
me that if I really want to get the center going, I should
be director. So he was the one who gave me the push
to become director.”
Sanchez was born in Monterrey, Mexico and moved
to Texas City when she was three-years-old. She went
through the Texas City Independent School District system,
graduating from Texas City High School. It was in
high-school that Sanchez started becoming interested
in childcare. “I wanted to open up my own daycare,” she
told me. “But then I started volunteering at a daycare
when I was about 16 and, due to a bad experience, I
decided that maybe this isn’t something I want to do. So
it’s funny that I’ve come full circle.”
But along with being interested in childcare, Sanchez
has also been interested in business since she was a
young child. “When I was little my mom would always
make things and I would sell them. And I would even
make items, like magnets, and sell them.” However,
after graduating high-school, Sanchez’s personal journey
took her down the family route. Over the years,
she got married and had three of her five children. But,
in 2008, she and her brother opened up Bake Me A
Dream, which is located at 1619 Sixth Street North here
in Texas City. Baking was another passion of Sanchez.
In fact, she carried this into her career as a director
by baking a cake modeled after Our Lady Of Fatima
School. Therefore, when her brother saw her baking
at home, he encouraged her to take it a step further.
She worked at and owned the bakery for several years,
before selling it to one of her employees. She had two
more children, and eventually came across the idea of
starting the Early Childhood Center.
The center, which is one third of the trio that includes
Our Lady Of Fatima School and the St. Mary’s Church,
runs all year from Monday through Friday. They are only
closed a few days a year, including on Good Friday,
Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is open from 6:30am to
6:00pm and is available for full-time care, part-time care
and drop-off care. The center takes children from six
weeks old to three years old and the only requirement
is that they have taken all of their shots.
Sanchez, first and foremost, credits God for helping
her start this center. “I know that God orchestrated this
and I followed the tug of my heartstrings,” she told me.
She also credits her husband and her five children,
ranging in ages from three to 19, for helping her remodel
the center and bring it to its current look. She told me
that she still has big plans on the look of the center,
but from what I saw when I took a tour, it holds a very
open, inviting and child-friendly environment. “Putting
this center together and getting everything started was
a family effort,” she told me. In fact, Sanchez’s children
help out at the school whenever they can.
At the moment, the center has three employees and
two more individuals who are in the process of being
employed. Sanchez told me, that for those people who
are interested in working for the center, they must be
at least 18-years old, must have a high-school diploma
or the equivalent and must go through a background
check and a pre-service training with the school. And,
along with employees, Sanchez is always looking for
volunteers to help out with the center. These volunteers
must follow the same protocols that the employees
would have to follow. If you or anyone you know would
be interested in volunteering at or working for the center,
you can call Sanchez at 409-739-5263 or email her
at nsanchez@stmarycctc.org.
And while the center currently only has one child
enrolled, Sanchez told me that they are in the process
of talking to parents. “We hope that things will start to
pick up in the new year,” she told me. What Sanchez
would like from people who want to enroll their child
would be to call her to make an appointment, meet with
her and take a walk-through of the school.
“I just want people to know that we are here to serve
the needs of the community. Texas City is a great place,
which has a lot to offer. When it comes to starting a family
and having children, when you have a community to
depend on, it makes all the difference. I want families
to know that you can count on us to take care of your
child.”