Meet Christa Black | Christa Black – Owner and Director of Stretch-N-Grow of East Tennessee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christa Black and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christa, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I contribute the success of SNG to being who we say we are. When we present our program to a school, we tell them that we are here to change the future of health and wellness for our children through FUN and IMAGINATION. These are not just words to us. We truly believe that planting seeds for anything of importance should begin at an early age and should be exciting. When you believe in what you do, it’s not hard to be who you say you are.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Stretch-N-Grow is a movement-based Enrichment program. We go to local schools and childcare centers to provide adventure-based PE, dance, yoga, sports, and gymnastics. What sets us apart is the work and effort that goes into making sure our teachers are very well trained. We certify our coaches in health and fitness, spend a month with them before they are left to lead their own classes, have monthly meetings to review curriculum for the following month, and spend countless hours working on mindfulness and classroom management.

When we grew to the point that I could not be at all of our schools and I had to trust other people to be the face of our program and deliver what we promise with the passion and pride that I do, this was terrifying! Who would love this program the way I do? I quickly learned that your passion easily spills onto other people if you truly are who you say you are. You will find your people and they will love what you love if you are patient and honest. Patients in staffing can be difficult in early childhood education. Many people just look for warm bodies to make sure they can run a class. I would rather not run a class and lose a business opportunity temporarily, than put someone in a class that is not ready. Our schools trust that we will put their programs above our business as well.

As the owner I feel I spend majority of my time planning and preparing to make sure my staff is above and beyond prepared for their classes every month. I don’t want them to run into any scenario we have not covered. I spend most of my time pouring my 20 years of experience into them because I have already pre promised our schools who they are. I can no longer be the face at all of our schools, and I want to make sure that our schools are receiving the same quality no matter who their teacher is.

We now have teachers that have found their passion for early childhood through SNG and I have found another reason to love what we do even more! I think getting to be a part of the reason someone decides to change their career path and find their passion is life will forever be one of the greatest gifts SNG has given me.

I feel at this point we have barely scratched the surface of what SNG will become to our community. We want to bring so much value to our programs that SNG is an expectation and parents seek out schools we partner with. We will reach this goal by continuing to grow our culture and by being who we say we are.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmm, this is a fun and tough. I am usually entertaining visitors with children, so Gatlinburg is always at the top of the list. We love the mountain coasters, shows, and the island. We have probably done the pirate show 5 times. The outdoor gravity park is always a hit! There is nowhere better than the smokies for fall hiking so several hikes would also be on the itinerary.

If having an adult dinner my top three stops would be The Lonesome Dove, Foothills Milling, and Bella. There is a little bit of something for everyone in those choices. If feeding the kids, for some yummy treats or an easy dinner I would choose Jabonis Pizza, and Cruze Farms Ice cream.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am so grateful to the Stretch-N-Grow community! SNG is worldwide! This community is family. There are Stretch-N-Grow’s in other states that have been around for more than 30 years! I never have a doubt that if I run into an issue there is another owner in another area that has already walked through that exact thing and can help guide and encourage me. The support of the SNG community is something I thank God for every day.

Website: www.sng-easttn.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SNGEastTN/

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