If you are a parent with school-age children in southwest Dallas County or anywhere near Cedar Hill, two women are hoping to make working from home a bit easier for you.
For Lauren Houston and Gabrielle "Gaby" George, this story has been something more than two decades in the making.
"Gabby and I have always had entrepreneurial dreams," Lauren said. "Our full-time jobs have not really allowed us to do much outside what we do on a day to day basis.”
The two best friends came up with a bright idea to make a difference in southwest Dallas County.
"Speaking with our families and friends who have children about what some of their concerns are for the upcoming year and understanding their frustrations," Lauren added, discussing why they chose to launch the new business.
It’s called L&G Virtual Learning Solutions, a learning center where students from kindergarten to 5th-grade can complete their online school work.
"We want to take kids into a smaller, safe, and secure learning environment for them to continue to grow and develop," Lauren said. "Throughout the day, they are doing their individualized work and we even have tutors that come into work with the kids individually."
Since many kids are learning from home, their goal is to provide a safe space that they hope will minimize disruptions to the student's learning environment.
"It’s important for them to have structure, which is why we wanted to mirror the hours of school," she added. "You come in like you’re going to school, you leave and go home like you would at a normal school.”
Equally important, is planting seeds in a community they’re familiar with.
"Quite frankly, we knew there was a need here and not a lot of resources in the southwest area," Gaby said. "It’s a great city, but we don’t have those resources like people up north in Carrollton, Plano, and up there. We could have easily gone out there and charged 2 to 3 times more than we charge now.”
The duo says it was never about the money for them.
"It was developed by two Black women who wanted to plant where we grew, Lauren added. "It’s important for people to understand that about us because this isn’t about the money, I'm not here to get rich, I’m here to support the community and Gaby is here to support the community as well. ”
If you’d like to learn more about L&G Virtual Learning Solutions or find ways to help, you can find a link to their website here.
What is Culture[D]?
Culture[D] is a new series on WFAA highlighting people and organizations working to uplift and inspire others while also "advancing the culture." These stories are fueled by you, our community members. If you know a person, company or organization we should highlight, please reach out to Tashara on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter or via email tparker@wfaa.com.
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