MARGO AYINDE

Hello! My name is Margo! I am from Barbados. The early part of my life was spent in this former British colony, where I lived a dream childhood. I ran in the hills, invited the goats and ducks into the school, ate fruits from every tree around me and played practically all day. I picked up sticks, stones, boulders, iron, nails, and much more, now considered dangerous and a hazard to young children! School was from 9am to 3pm with a twenty-minute morning break and a full hour of lunch time. Life was a breeze, devoid of concern, care, or worry. It was this early childhood experience that eventually led me to the early-childhood world of play and learning.

I have been working in Early Childhood Education since the birth of my first child almost 17 years ago. It was during this time that I realized I had a love of instructing and engaging young children, and that I wanted my children to have the same early childhood experience I did; so, when my neighbors, who saw this love as a natural gift, asked me to care for their own children, I humbly accepted and dove in for a tremendous, and unforgettable experience. For 7 years, I cared for children in my home, an unofficial day care. From there, my commitment to young children grew. I later secured a position with a certified daycare center in Brooklyn, NY, where I stayed for 9 years. While there, I completed my master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.

As a giant advocate of play as an essential and integral part of the early childhood experience, I was asked by a professor to take a trip to Sweden in May 2017. I observed how young children engaged and experience early childhood there, not just through the eyes of the young child but also through the eyes of their instructors. This experience furthered my desire to work with young children and to bring that difference in instruction to every young child I may encounter. This is now my duty at The Katmint: to ensure a sound, grounded, well-rounded, and unshakeable early childhood foundation and learning experience for every child enrolled. Here’s to fun learning, the Katmint way!