Wayne Preno - From Lifeguard to Running a Business

During the summer when he was in high school, Wayne Preno spent his time on Long Beach Island, New Jersey patrolling the beach and ocean while saving lives as a lifeguard. Now he is using some of those same lessons while he runs his two Early and Bright Childcare Centers in the Philadelphia region.

Lifeguarding is not about catching a tan and chatting up girls in bikinis. For Preno, he took great pride in his dedication to his job. Lifeguarding is a difficult job mentally. Someone has to be focused on the swimmers for over eight hours a day. Many people do not have that type of concentration, especially when being distracted by people on the beach. Lifeguards also need to have the anticipation and planning to know when a swimmer is looking tired and intervene before it is too late. The last attribute a lifeguard needs is the stamina and swim skills to rescue a drowning person. Preno had all three of these traits and prevented a lot of drownings during his time as a lifeguard.

Running a business is similar to lifeguarding. A lot of concentration needs to occur on the business and how to make it succeed. Businessmen also need the anticipation to act before there is a problem within the company. Wayne Preno has been able to use these same lifeguarding principals to improve his childcare centers. He already has two centers in the Philadelphia area and is looking to expand shortly. Wayne Preno was able to take the skills that made him an effective lifeguard and translate them into business success.

Wayne Preno About His Early and Bright Childcare Centers

Wayne Preno is the founder and owner of two Early and Bright Childcare Centers in the Philadelphia region. He wants to serve the underprivileged children of his communities and give them a leg up on their education.

Studies have shown that children who participate in early childhood education are more likely to enroll in college and have greater success later on in life. This is especially true with minority children. Preno sees this early childhood education as being one of the best investments a parent can make in their child’s education because it will set up the next twelve years of school. This is the first opportunity for children to spend time away from the nuclear family unit and interact with a completely different environment. His childcare centers expose children to math, reading, and social skills that are needed in the classroom setting. His curriculum is optimized to enrich his student’s environment in a fun and entertaining setting. The parents of Preno’s students are happy with their children's development and see improvement at home.

Preno wants to be seen as a role model for the community. He believes that his work with his early childcare centers will inspire other people to help improve their community. Preno wholeheartedly believes in the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.” As he continues to help young children in Philadelphia prepare themselves for school, Preno will continue to be integral to the community. In the long run, Wayne Preno wants his kids to come back to the community and inspire a new generation of children.