Blooming Buds Making Early Education More Accessible

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – In the heart of the Kemp Road community, one preschool is doing more than teaching ABCs, it’s opening doors for families who need a hand.

Led by owner and director Eddea Sturrup, Blooming Buds Daycare and Preschool has launched a charity to give back in a lasting way.

Two single mothers, Nicole Minns and Branell Gray, have each been selected to receive full scholarships for their daughters.

The program covers tuition, meals, and even uniforms, easing the strain of early education costs.

Sturrup says it’s about lifting families and planting seeds of opportunity.

Eddea Sturrup – Owner & Director, Blooming Buds Daycare and Preschool

“I had a dream. Beyond my dreams, I had a dream, something that was in my head for quite a while. Two things. I wanted to be in charity, I wanted to have a preschool. So, after five years of being here on number 19 Parkgate Road at Blooming Buds Daycare and Preschool, three years ago in my mind, I was thinking, let’s give back to the community. So I said in my head, let’s start Seeds of Promise. So it’s like a charity branch from the preschool, and we wanted to begin with the Kemp Road community. Hopefully, in the future, we can extend it to the community, well, the Bahamas at large, but we wanted to start right here at home.”

To bring that vision to life, Sturrup says she started by selecting two mothers in the community who are committed to their children’s education and who she felt could benefit most from the support.

Eddea Sturrup – Owner & Director, Blooming Buds Daycare and Preschool

“We chose two beautiful young ladies within the Kemp Road community, and I’m so excited. The tuition is for the entire year. We’re not talking one term or two terms. We’re talking a full scholarship for preschoolers. We’re also talking about free lunch and free breakfast. Where can you get that? We also provided them with free uniforms, not one, two, along with a PE kit. Here, at Blooming Buds, we wanted to alleviate the stress of this school year. Things are getting tough, so we wanted to make sure that we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna do it right.”

Though Branell Gray could not be present today, fellow recipient Nicole Minns shared just how difficult it can be for single mothers to afford preschool.

She says this scholarship is more than just a helping hand, it’s giving her daughter a strong start while also giving her the room to build a better future for herself.

Nicole Minns – Mother of Scholarship Recipient

“Not knowing as a single mom, getting your child into K3, is very difficult because the government system basically starts from K4. So you have to look for, basically, a private nursery or a school to put your kids, so you have to have funds, and you need to have a job.”

Nicole Minns – Mother of Scholarship Recipient

“It’s helping me tremendously because I can now go and look for a job, and she gets the opportunity to get a sensible and reliable education.”