Usapang Business: The pre-school that grew

Holy Child School of Davao Inc. president Victoria Leuterio calls her business venture a miracle.

The Holy Child School started out 22 years ago as a pre-school. At that time, Leuterio had already had 15 years experience as a teacher, including two years as a special education teacher for children with special needs. When the school where she taught was forced to phase out its junior kindergarten class because of lack of funds, parents asked her to put up her own school.

School was the living room and garage of a rented house in Davao City. With no capital, the initial tuition of P25 a month per student was used to furnish the school and to pay for the monthly rental of P2,500.

"That’s one of the school’s many miracles. Parents brought their children to the school even when we didn’t have facilities like the other schools. They said they were after my teaching," she said.

Expansion

When Leuterio started her business, she had three children. Through the years, she would have four more children and her school would expand.

"Almost every year, I would ask the Department of Education for permission to add another grade level," said Leuterio, who prayed over each move to expand the school. "God answered by sending me more students."

Today, the Holy Child School of Davao has an enrolment of almost 3,000 students, the second largest private school in the city. The main school is located in a 3,500 square meter property in the heart of Davao City that was purchased for P3.5 million and is now conservatively valued at P90 million. It also operates a branch in the city.

The school currently offers elementary and secondary education as well as a BS degree in computers. Next year, the school will open a College of Education.

Family

HCSDI remains largely a family business. Leuterio continues to oversee the academics while three of her children help run the school. A son takes care of the financial side and another son takes charge of special projects. A daughter is trained in Montessori education.

Of HCSDI’s 135 work force, 85 are teaching staff. Although it pays one of the highest starting salaries for teachers in Davao at P7,000 a month, the school has one of the lowest tuition at approximately P1,000 a month.

""I feel so blessed and so privileged to be able to do this work because, to me, this is not a business but a way of touching the lives of the youth," said Leuterio. "Our first batch of pre-school graduates are now professionals. We have also sent a significant number of our graduates to the Philippine Science High School. Many of our graduates have qualified for acceptance into Manila’s top universities."

For Leuterio, the time invested in the classroom as a teacher has paid off.