At Tiny Tigers Learning Center, LaShon Carter makes sure everyone gets an education.
LaShon Carter has always been an educator at heart. But she never imagined it would take the shape of childcare.
Carter grew up around daycare, watching her mother and aunts care for children in their family-run businesses. She pitched in while earning her Human Services degree at Chattanooga State, but never pictured herself making a career of it. After school, she stepped away from childcare, focused on other paths, and thought she’d left that world behind.
Still, the seeds of her calling had been planted early. As a child at Orchard Knob Elementary School, Carter was inspired by her teacher, Mrs. Williams, who made learning fun and took time to work one-on-one with her students. “She cared about us and made sure we understood our lessons,” Carter says. “She was my favorite teacher.”
That sense of care, motherly love, and connection would eventually pull Carter back to the classroom in an unexpected way.
In early 2015, a friend asked Carter to watch her kids during a job interview. Her friend got the job—but she had no childcare and was expected to start the following Monday.
“She said, ‘I wouldn’t want to take my kids anywhere but to you,’” Carter recalls. “Then she said, ‘When are you opening your daycare?’”
What started as a favor quickly grew into something bigger. Carter opened Tiny Tigers Family Home Daycare on March 5, 2015, in her home with three children. Word spread quickly; within two months, she was caring for 39 kids. Two years later on February 7, 2017, she opened Tiny Tigers Learning Center on Holtzclaw Avenue with seven kids.
“When you know it’s time for you to jump, you just leap,” she says.
Today, Tiny Tigers has grown into a thriving early education center with 14 staff members, providing kids and teachers alike a nurturing, dependable place to learn and grow.
Instilling independence
Tiny Tigers is far from an ordinary daycare—it’s a safe, welcoming, positive environment, where even the youngest children are introduced to essential life skills and learning.
The school serves kids ages six weeks to five years old. Each program—creatively named to reflect its ethos and energy—focuses on age-appropriate motor skills, lessons, and games to help the children grow confidently and independently. The Little Wildcats (toddlers) learn at least 25 new words each year through songs, interactive play, sensory exploration, and early scribbling. The Leaping Leopards (preschoolers) focus on key milestones like potty training, with Carter and her team equipping parents with tips and advice to support the process at home.
Roaring Lions Pre-K is Carter’s favorite class. “They’re curious, they’re excited, they’re exploring,” she says. Their favorite activity? Slime. It’s a sensory wonderland. But it’s the monthly colorful clay projects that really spark joy.
That independence shows up in small but meaningful ways. One Pre-K student was so proud of a clay project, he told his mom he got to make a mess at daycare—and he knew how to clean it up.
“They know how to vacuum, fold their blankets, and clean up after themselves,” Carter says. “You’ve got to teach them their own independence, and that’s how you do it.”
Public speaking is even part of the Pre-K curriculum at Tiny Tigers, giving children the tools to express themselves with confidence. Through class projects, they take turns standing in front of their peers to introduce themselves or share something they’ve learned. The goal is to build comfort in new environments, so when they head to kindergarten, they’re not shy or uncertain.
Parents are often amazed by their children’s progress. “We’re teaching them how to be leaders, so when they go out into the world, they don’t have to be followers,” Carter says.
This philosophy doesn’t stop with the students; Carter’s mission of “teaching today’s leaders for tomorrow’s success” applies to her staff, too. Every teacher at Tiny Tigers is fully informed about school policies, rules, and day-to-day operations. Everyone is a lead teacher and a boss. The team works with trust, respect, and shared responsibility, with each empowered to lead by example, with confidence.
Building the next generation of teachers
For Carter, building a strong childcare center meant more than just hiring the right staff—it meant investing in her people. She believes a high-quality learning environment begins with a high-quality team, and that takes ongoing education, intentional hiring, and a commitment to staff development.
Like many new business owners, Carter struggled with hiring in the beginning. With no clear direction, she brought on team members who clashed with her strengths instead of complementing them. It didn’t take long for her to realize something had to change.
After taking courses on hiring and team-building, she learned how to be more intentional in her approach. Job descriptions became a key tool, not only to outline responsibilities, but to ensure new teachers aligned with her mission and values. At Tiny Tigers, compassion, integrity, and a community mindset aren’t just nice to have. They’re essential.
Carter soon realized she wasn’t just hiring for skill—she was hiring for growth. She began looking for teachers who were not only qualified, but also passionate about childcare and education, and eager to develop both professionally and personally. She partnered with a Child Development Associate (CDA) program so teachers could access training and earn the credentials they needed to advance in the education field. (CDA later became a state requirement for early education professionals.)
That shift sparked another breakthrough. When Carter started asking her team what truly motivated and inspired them—in the classroom and beyond—she discovered a powerful way to support their growth. She introduced vision boards as a tool to help her staff reflect on their personal and professional goals. What drives them? What are they working toward? And how can Tiny Tigers help them get there?
Many of the goals were deeply practical: paying down debt, buying a home, going on a vacation, or most commonly, returning to school. Carter got creative, tapping into available resources and partnerships to help her staff make progress.
When the Tennessee Department of Human Services later launched the WAGE$ program statewide—offering financial incentives to early childhood educators tied to their training and experience—Carter immediately saw the opportunity. She strongly encouraged her team to take advantage, recognizing it as a practical path to further education and economic stability.
Several teachers joined the program, including Ami, who earned her CDA credential and continued her studies. As Ami progressed, Carter began training her in broader administrative skills, from paperwork to office management. Between formal education and on-the-job development, Ami became an essential member of the Tiny Tigers team—and she still is today.
Carter’s dream was taking shape right before her eyes. Her resourcefulness and commitment to building a strong, supported team helped turn those goals into realities.
Today, teachers at Tiny Tigers are required to complete at least 30 credit hours of professional development each year. The WAGE$ program continues to be a valuable resource. Carter’s support goes far beyond the technical; she emphasizes confidence and communication as part of her staff’s leadership development. Teachers learn how to build their own lesson plans and delegate when needed. They hold quarterly meetings with parents to build relationships and provide transparency. They also lead monthly staff meetings to strengthen their public speaking skills. These opportunities reinforce the same leadership principles Carter instills in her students: learning to speak up, take initiative, and lead with confidence.
“My vision is for Tiny Tigers to be a teaching daycare for those who want to teach or open their own center,” Carter says. “If you’re really passionate about childcare, we’re building the next generation of teachers here.”
Now, all new staff, full- and part-time, go through a structured onboarding process that introduces them to the school’s culture, policies, expectations, and support systems, including a personal vision board. Each quarter, Carter revisits these boards with her team in one-on-one check-ins. Are they still on track? Have their goals shifted? How can Tiny Tigers continue to support them?
Carter cares deeply for her staff. She listens to them, appreciates them, and genuinely wants the best for each of them, not just while they’re at Tiny Tigers, but wherever their careers take them next.
For many, Tiny Tigers is the first stop on their educational journey. Carter recognizes that her teachers won’t stay forever—and that’s okay. But while they’re with her, she wants them to grow to their fullest potential.
It’s not unusual for Carter’s former teachers to reach out and thank her for all the training and support. They tell her they feel prepared for their next steps because of the experience from Tiny Tigers.
One former teacher told Carter, “I got a better position than what I applied for because of my experience from Tiny Tigers. Thank you for all the training.”
And of course, they still discuss their vision boards and their goals.
“What I’m doing works,” Carter says. “So I’m going to keep doing it.”
