Yasmin's dream was to open her own child care center. She grew up in a large family and helped care for her siblings, "I always liked kids and my mom had a lot of kids, so I used to babysit them," she said.
She interned at a preschool while attending college in California and earning an Associates of Arts degree in Child Development. Yasmin said, "I was happy about working with kids, even though at that time, I didn't know I was going to have my own kids."
She moved to Minnesota and worked at a daycare center for seven years before relocating to Seattle. She said, "Before I got married, I wanted to open my own child care. After I came to Seattle, I was scared to open it because I have my own kids now and I wanted to do it right. "
A neighbor encouraged Yasmin to attend a JobLink orientation session. It was there that she learned SHA's employment and educational program could also provide her with resources to help her open her own business. "That's when I met Larry, at the JobLink workshop -- I got his business card and called him," said Yasmin. "If it wasn't for Larry, I probably wouldn't get a lot of things done."
Yasmin met with Larry, a JobLink Career Coach, once or twice a week. He helped her through the process of reviewing and fulfilling all the requirements and paperwork required to open a child care center. After she received her license, she transformed her High Point home into an inviting space for children.
"Larry is a very very patient person. He was encouraging and kept telling me that I can do it," she said. "I probably wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for him. Even though I'm passionate about kids, I was looking for support that will be there for me."
Yasmina's Childcare is now open at High Point in West Seattle. For information, please email yasminibrahim809@gmail.com.
For more information about JobLink, please email joblink@seattlehousing.org or call 206.615.3366.