For more than two decades, caring for children was both Yolanda Duckett’s profession and her commitment to her community. She opened Duckett Kidz Care, Inc. in her South Los Angeles home in 2003, building a childcare business that families came to rely on for structure, stability, and care.
But Duckett had a larger vision. She wanted to move beyond the limits of a home-based program and create a dedicated early-learning center where she could serve more children, employ more people, and give families a safe and supportive place for their children to learn.
Finding the right building was one challenge. Financing it was another.
When Duckett found a property in Compton, she saw an opportunity to make the expansion she had envisioned for years. Purchasing and transforming the building into a licensed childcare facility, however, required significant capital for both the acquisition and improvements.
City First Bank in coordination with another mission-driven lender helped provide a path forward. City First provided a $500,000 mortgage as part of a $1 million SBA 504 financing package, alongside $400,000 in SBA-backed financing and a $100,000 borrower equity contribution. The financing allowed Duckett Kidz Care to acquire the larger owner-occupied property and complete improvements including roof, electrical, and flooring upgrades.
The move represented a major transition for the business: from operating out of Duckett’s residence to a dedicated commercial childcare center with room to serve more families.
Getting the financing in place did not mean the hard part was over. Renovations, licensing requirements, city approvals, and delays stretched the process much longer than Duckett anticipated. City First continued working with her through loan extensions and changes to the project timeline.
“There were times it felt impossible,” Duckett said. “I fought for this building. I prayed for it.”
In October 2025, Trinity Kidz Child Development Center finally opened its doors. The larger space is helping Duckett build the kind of childcare environment she had envisioned: one designed to meet children where they are. Trinity Kidz welcomes outside specialists into the center, including Applied Behavior Analysis therapists who work with children with autism and speech therapists who can provide services during the childcare day. Teachers with experience supporting children with special needs help create an environment centered on patience, individualized attention, and encouragement.
Providing those services within the childcare setting can also make them easier for families to access. Rather than requiring a child to leave a familiar environment for appointments elsewhere, specialists can work with them in a place where they already spend their day.
Trinity Kidz has also sought to provide stability for families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Children can spend the day in a safe setting where they receive meals, participate in educational activities, build relationships, and maintain some consistency during an otherwise uncertain period for their families.
For Duckett, those services are part of the same philosophy that guided her original home-based program.
“We are professional childcare providers and want to see children succeed and families supported,” she said.
The expansion is also supporting local employment. Since opening the larger center, Trinity Kidz has created more than 15 jobs, while increasing its capacity to serve families in the community.
Shortly after opening, Trinity Kidz extended its work beyond the classroom. In December 2025, the center held its first annual toy giveaway, providing gifts and support to more than 100 families in the community.
For Duckett, opening Trinity Kidz is less an endpoint than the realization of something she had been working toward since she first began caring for children as a teenager.
“To see children learning and teachers who share my vision means everything,” she said.
She is already thinking about what comes next: Duckett has begun looking for a location for another center.
