Entrepreneur, Valedictorian, and Mom

— Esmy Duran’s Story

Esmy Duran spends her days singing educational songs, teaching foundational skills, and dancing with toddlers at her newly opened franchise of B&J Wonderland Daycare — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

From volunteering at elementary schools at 14, helping children with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, to receiving a $10,000 grant to open up her own daycare in 2024, and everything in between — Duran’s experiences with childcare and childhood education have brought her a very long way. Successfully opening her own daycare franchise in April and graduating as Valedictorian from Hostos Community College in May is only the beginning for the young entrepreneur, and this is her story.

Esmy Duran was born and raised in New York City to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. Being one of 15 siblings and the only girl on her mother’s side, she found herself acting as a pseudo-parent to her younger brothers. Duran explains she took on the “teacher” role as early as she can remember, beginning with helping her brothers with schoolwork and ensuring they were passing all their classes.

This was only the start of her involvement with childhood education. At 14 years old, Duran began volunteering with Children’s Aid Society, a non-profit organization that supports and uplifts children in poverty through various programs. Duran was quickly offered a job as a group leader counselor, and from then on, she has grown to hold a plethora of other teaching positions.

Duran worked as an after-school leader, a Catholic Church Saturday school teacher, and a program leader throughout high school; the list goes on. In 2020, Duran was working at New York Child Resource Center (NYCRC), a school where she provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy to children on the spectrum. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, NYCRC shut down, leaving Duran without a job. This prompted her to create “Duran’s Education Station”, a program that targeted families — especially those who didn’t speak English. Duran would visit these families’ homes and help them with remote learning. This included navigating Zoom, along with all the technologies needed for their children to succeed academically. This sparked the beginning of Duran’s entrepreneurship. Through social media, business cards, and word-of-mouth throughout her community in Inwood, Duran was able to build up a steady clientele that sustained her throughout the pandemic. At one point, Duran’s Education Station got so big that she was able to give back to her community through a back-to-school raffle, where six kids were randomly chosen to receive school supplies. Duran went to several small businesses throughout Inwood to help spread the word about her raffle. This raffle not only gave six children the supplies they needed for the school year, but it also grew Duran’s business exponentially due to the community’s participation.

By 2021, schools were opening back up, and Duran’s Education Station slowly lost business. This came at a good time, though, as Duran found herself stretched thin with having to go to several clients’ houses, which had become overwhelming.

B&J Wonderland Daycare Meets Esmy Duran

Duran returned to work with NYCRC, providing ABA therapy. However, with a baby on the way, Duran desired something more. She wanted her next job to allow for more flexibility, allowing her to teach her own baby while working; Duran found herself entertaining the thought of working in a daycare. That’s when she stumbled upon B&J Wonderland Daycare, a daycare franchise founded and owned by Brigida Saladin, a Dominican businesswoman. Duran applied and interviewed to be a provider at one of their locations. After receiving the job offer, she reluctantly had to turn it down due to the pay, which was less than what she was earning at NYCRC. Since she was expecting a baby in only a couple of weeks, she believed that was the best choice for her and her family.

Continuing with business as usual, Duran documented her life on Instagram: having posted content from Duran’s Education Station, life with her new baby, and her involvement with the NYCRC kids. During a spirit week, Duran enthusiastically posted her outfits every day, showcasing her dedication to the school’s activities. Unbeknownst to Duran, CEO Brigida Saladin had been following her the whole time, witnessing Duran’s pure devotion to the kids she teaches.

Saladin reached out to Duran via direct message, expressing her admiration for Duran’s commitment to kids’ education, and mentioned how she was overqualified for the provider position she had applied for earlier in the year. Saladin then offered Duran a position as a supervisor, which is the highest position one could have at a B&J Wonderland Daycare. On a phone call, Saladin continued to praise Duran for her work, even proposing that she open her own daycare one day. This was music to Duran’s ears; however, being a new mom while not being in the best spot financially, Duran’s dream of opening her own daycare remained just that: a dream.

After working as a daycare supervisor for a year, Duran found herself yearning for more yet again. Thus, in 2023, at 29 years old, she enrolled herself back in school — despite having dropped out when she was younger — at Hostos Community College, majoring in Physical Therapy.

“I want to explore more about myself. I’m the kind of person that loves to wear many hats. I love to gain as much knowledge as I can, as much experience as I can — I think this life is all about experiences. I want to do all types of things. Me getting older only meant that I’m kind of running out of time to explore more things and my passions, and what I’m really into. I didn’t think teaching was it forever. It’s just something I’m really good at, something I have a natural passion for. But I wanted to explore other parts of me,” said Duran.

Balancing a full-time job, college, and being a mom is no easy task. It had been a couple of years of supervising the daycare and one year of college. Having only one year left to receive her associate’s degree, the academic validation and achievement were not something Duran was willing to sacrifice. Therefore, in 2024, Duran opted to demote herself at the daycare, as she felt her workload had become too much. During her leave of absence, Duran was working remotely for B&J Wonderland Daycare, handling the hiring for the company. While this break was much needed, it was not sustainable, and Duran found herself needing to work more to make ends meet. In hopes of being able to work at the daycare part-time, she had a conversation with Saladin. Saladin welcomed Duran back with open arms, assuring her she would give Duran whatever she needed to make it work for her lifestyle.

Shortly after, days before Duran’s 30th birthday, she received an email that would change the trajectory of her career.

“Okay, is this a joke?” said Duran, in disbelief at the email she had just received.

However, it was far from a joke. Brigida Saladin had offered a $10,000 grant for Duran to start her own daycare, just as they had discussed when they first connected years prior. After getting the green light from her sisters, her partner, and trusted friends, Duran accepted the offer.

Now, just over a year later, Duran’s daycare is approaching its sixth month mark since its grand opening. After tirelessly searching for apartments for 6 months after receiving her grant, she was finally able to secure one in Harlem. The following months consisted of obtaining all necessary licenses, furniture, accommodations, and approvals, which she was able to navigate with guidance from Saladin.

By mid-May of 2025, Duran’s location of B&J Wonderland Daycare opened its doors and only a few months later, reached capacity and has even built a waiting list!

“Wait a minute, I have a waiting list,” said Duran, “It's been crazy. In just a couple of months, I'm basically fully registered.”

Duran went from volunteering at children’s programs since the age of 14, supervising a daycare, to owning her very own daycare at 30. Even while pursuing her education and starting a family, having moments where she had to take a step back from B&J Wonderland Daycare — her passion and dedication to children’s development shone through, outweighing any fears or hesitations she had. All it took was someone believing in her; Saladin took a chance on Duran, and it’s allowed her to flourish in ways she never would’ve imagined.

What are the next steps for Esmy Duran? She plans on continuing to dedicate herself to her daycare, growing the business to a point where she can hopefully take a step back and hire a supervisor to handle the day-to-day responsibilities. Duran will also continue her studies at Lehman College, pursuing a bachelor’s in Exercise Science with a Pre-Physical Therapy track, while also minoring in Early Childhood Education. She aspires to eventually work as a traveling physical therapist with professional sports teams.

Duran hopes to one day be in a position like Saladin’s; she loves giving back to her community and wants to be in a position to offer opportunities to those around her, just as Saladin did for her.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you were given. What matters is how you use what you were given to turn it around into becoming something positive for the environment you were raised in,” said Duran.

Duran never let her circumstances define her; despite being a college dropout, not having many role models to look up to, and having fears revolving around taking these risks in her career, she didn’t let them stop her. This is only the beginning of Esmy Duran’s entrepreneurial career, and there is no doubt that she will continue to receive several accolades academically and professionally in the years to come.