COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — What began as a prayer during the pandemic has grown into one of southeast Colorado Springs’ most impactful community spaces.
Jackie Lujan, owner and CEO of Lighthouse Early Care and Education Center, was recently named Small Business Person of the Year, a recognition she says still feels surreal.
“I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it,” said Lujan.
But behind the award is a story built on faith, sacrifice, grief and determination.
“We’re Really Doing This”
Just a few years ago, Lujan was working at T-Mobile, where she had spent more than 14 years building a stable career. During the pandemic, though, she began questioning whether she was meant for something more.
“I felt like my nine to five was really all that I was called to do,” she said. “But once that pandemic hit, it really gave me an opportunity to sit at home and reflect. Is this really what I’m called to do?”
The turning point came after she saw a news story about an overcrowded illegal daycare.
“That right there was my trigger,” she said. “I have three children of my own. God was just utilizing me to extend that love out to other people’s families.”
When her husband suggested opening a school, Lujan initially laughed it off.
“He looked over at me and said, ‘I think you should start a school,’ and I said, ‘You’re crazy,’” she recalled. “I had no childcare experience. I had no background working with kids.”
Still, she prayed on it. Two weeks later, she says she got her answer.
“I was like, wow, we’re really doing this, Lord,” said Lujan.
A Leap of Faith and Financial Risk
Starting the business meant taking enormous risks. Lujan and her husband sold their home to fund the center themselves after struggling to secure traditional financing.
“We were the lenders,” she said. “I didn’t realize that’s how it would play out, but it did.”
At one point, the family even considered living in an RV with their three children while they built the business.
“My husband really had me at an RV place looking for RVs,” she said laughing. “I was like, ‘OK Lord, please just find us a place.’”
Eventually, her father rented them a home while they poured their savings into launching the center.
Building a Business While Navigating Grief
As Lujan worked through Thrive Network’s entrepreneurship program, tragedy struck repeatedly.
“My stepmom’s mother passed away from COVID. My brother died in November. My father-in-law died two weeks later,” she said.
Her brother’s death came just days before her graduation from the program.
“I said, ‘I have a feeling that God’s telling me that if I don’t walk up on that stage and graduate, then I’m going to regret it,’” said Lujan.
She went anyway.
“I asked God, ‘I can’t do this on my own strength. You’re going to have to be my strength,’” said Lujan.
Lujan says therapy, faith, and family helped her continue moving forward.
“Getting up and cleaning my house was a win for me,” she said. “Making dinner for my babies was a win for me.”
More Than Child Care
Today, Lighthouse Early Care and Education Center serves more than 250 families across its programs and has become a hub for community support on Colorado Springs’ southeast side.
Through partnerships with Pikes Peak United Way and other organizations, families can access childcare, ESL classes, GED programs and additional free services all in one place.
“If it takes a village to raise a child, then it definitely takes a community to build a business,” said Lujan.
The center currently has about 84 children enrolled at its newest location and employs 12 staff members, a milestone Lujan says she’s especially proud of in an industry known for high turnover.
“We’ve built such a great reputation within our community that people are really running to the doors to enroll their children here,” she said.
Lujan also hopes to open another location by 2028 to help address the growing need for childcare in Colorado Springs.
“Educate Yourself”
For Lujan, the mission has always been bigger than business. She hopes her story encourages other women and aspiring entrepreneurs to take chances on themselves, even when they feel unqualified.
“First things first is going to be educate yourself,” she said. “And don’t try to do it alone. Mentorship is everything.”
Looking back, Lujan says the journey has taught her that faith and community can carry people through even the hardest seasons.
“I honestly don’t believe that if I hadn’t done that, we would not be where we are today,” she said.
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