Fitting the running of a business around family life is challenging for most people. Katrina and Darren Knights, who run the Little Learners Pre-School in Woodlands Road, have made it work for them. Mrs. Knights told The Royal Gazette's Alex Wright about the couple's labour of love.

Education is a key part of a child's life and should also be one of their happiest and most enjoyable times.

And being brought up properly in a family environment can be fundamental to how a person's future is shaped.

That is what Katrina Knights, owner of Little Leaners Pre-School, has been striving to ensure during her career in teaching.

"For me, education is key," she said. "It is all about producing very well-rounded children who have enjoyed their younger years and are ready for school and the next stage of life.

"We want to bring the family unit together so that the child can benefit."

Mrs. Knights, who runs the nursery based in Woodlands Road along with her husband Darren, started out as a teaching assistant at The Nursery School in Paget, before going off to study early childhood education at Jacksonville University in Florida.

She came back to Bermuda, got married to Mr. Knights and they started their own family. She subsequently returned to her first job and then moved on to what was then The Woodlands Playhouse Nursery, prior to changing its name to The Academy at Woodlands and finally Little Learners Pre-School, as it is known today.

In between, Mrs. Knights taught her children (three boys aged 11, 14 and 16) at home, while completing a nursery training course at Bermuda College, before being offered the chance to take over the nursery herself.

"I basically fell in love with the job and all that it entailed," she said. "I had the chance to start my own business here when the previous owner, Sabrina Kirby, who had owned and run the place for 16 years, called me in 2005/06 and asked if I wanted to purchase the nursery, so I did.

"I started proceedings and by the end of 2006 the sale was complete."

During her short time at the nursery, Mrs. Knights has implemented a number of new developments, ranging from changing the name to introducing cognitive, literacy and numeracy skills assessments for pre-school children and the Leap Into Literacy programme from donations given by the Leapfrog Schoolhouse. There is also music by Simons Music School and there are plans afoot to buy a new school building in the centre of Hamilton and to launch a website via one of the parents whose child is at the nursery.

But it has been a steep learning curve for the teacher from Smith's, who has had to become a business owner, director and educator all-in-one.

The Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation helped the Knights draw up a business plan and gave them advice on setting up their own venture, while the Bank of Bermuda gave them a loan to start up.

"It has definitely been a jump in at the deep end," she said.

"My main purpose was getting into the classroom and the school and educating the children because that is a passion of mine to provide great quality day care for children aged between two and five-years-old.

"The business part is not my favourite part, but it has to be done. So I wear many hats - it has definitely been a challenge, but it is great."

Meanwhile Mr. Knights finished his high school studies prior to leaving for college in New Hampshire to read aviation management and flight and qualifying as a pilot, but decided to put his career on hold when he met his wife and set up a family and started his own electrical contracting company.

"In the 13 years Katrina was doing home study with the boys, I was the sole bread-winner," he said. "Now I am the one in the background - the maintenance guy and the carpenter.

"This is totally different to what I had done before with my business - I had to run more of the financial side of things and then my wife was more of the educator, but she also had to learn to watch her books - she could be the best educator in the world, but she needed to have that business sense and she has done a very good job of doing both.

"The first year was very taxing for us and it was all about getting our foot in the door and established - it took a leap of faith, but we are enjoying the fruits of our labour now."

In fact the business is truly a family affair, with Mr. Knights doing everything from making the wooden tables in the classroom to fixing and carrying out repairs, doing odd jobs around the place and even driving in the school minibus to save money.

A typical day in the life of the Knights could involve Mr. Knights setting his children up with their school work, while Mrs. Knights goes off to the nursery, where she works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., greeting parents and interviewing prospective ones and holding staff meetings, as well as turning her hand to teaching of course, with the class of three-year-olds.

"It is a long day," she admitted. "I have to make sure the parents feel welcome and comfortable and get things ready for the day.

"I have noticed since taking over that we have had an influx of parents and have started off putting some of them on a waiting list.

"Business is doing well and it is just a matter of keeping it up now we have got lots of positive things going on."

The 38 children who attend the Nursery range from two to five-years-old, with a team of four teachers and a teaching assistant built up by Mrs. Knights during her two-year tenure.

She cites seeing the children grow and develop, as well as grasping new ideas and concepts - and knowing that she was part of that achievement - as one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.

But, equally Mrs. Knights finds the hardest side of the work is turning away parents who cannot afford to pay their fees, but desperately want their child to have the best education, in addition to the struggle to find good quality staff.

"Finding good staff that are willing to do the work is one of the biggest challenges I face," she said. "I know that a lot of business people say that, but it is really true."

Mrs. Knights' advice to any fellow Bermudians looking to get into running their own business or, more specifically a Nursery, is not to rush into it lightly, to make sure you have got your facts and figures right, and, above all, to be prepared.

In their spare time, the Knights devote a lot of attention to their family and just enjoying each other's company, as well as being devout Christians. Mrs. Knights also has a reputation as a master baker, having sold her wares, including candy, chocolates, cakes and cookies, at the Farmers' Markets in the Bull's Head car park since 2001 as a side line, and her husband likes to go fishing and has a passion for reading about economics and history.

They are very focused on giving their own children the best start in life and hope that the same values they have taught them will be passed on to future generations.