Teresa Beardsley is launching an innovative concept in San Bernardino County: offering certified professional training, such as first aid, while providing on-site childcare. The initiative aims to remove logistical barriers for parents and revitalize local continuing education.
Combining family life with professional ambitions is a daily challenge for many parents. Based on this observation, Teresa Beardsley, a local resident and mother, is developing a pragmatic and supportive solution: integrating a childcare service directly into professional training locations. Her company, Alchemy Works, is developing innovative initiatives to help mothers reconcile their professional and personal lives by creating an ecosystem that integrates training, work, and family life.
This project was born from her own experience. While searching for a facility for her three-year-old daughter, she faced administrative difficulties and decided to turn to homeschooling. This path connected her with a local educational enrichment center, where she identified a mutual need: the center was looking for a facilitator for music workshops, a skill Teresa Beardsley possesses. The idea sparked during a conversation with the center’s manager, who doesn’t use the premises on weekends. The core principle is simple but powerful: to normalize the integration of children into women’s professional world.
The initiative offers professional certification sessions on evenings and weekends, notably in first aid (CPR, BLS for nursing students) and occupational safety (OSHA). “People could bring their kids […] and get their certification, knowing that it’s a multigenerational space already set up for little ones,” explains Ms. Beardsley. She rejects the idea of a “sterile and childless” work world, which she finds unrealistic and counterproductive, especially for women in the pre-employment phase who may not have the resources for childcare.
The goal is twofold: to make these essential trainings more accessible and to create local opportunities. The cost remains a barrier for many families in a region where budgets are often tight. That’s why Teresa Beardsley is actively seeking sponsors and grants, particularly from San Bernardino County, which is known for investing in professional training. She aims to reduce, or even eliminate, the fees for participants.
To refine her vision and ensure her projects meet the needs of her target audience, Ms. Beardsley is relying on collective intelligence. She plans to organize a “listening party” soon: a friendly focus group to gather constructive feedback on the first five episodes of her podcast. This collaborative approach helps her build an engaged community and validate her insights, particularly that her content resonates most when it directly addresses “professional mothers.”
Building on initial partnerships, such as with the local community center, the entrepreneur doesn’t plan to stop there. She envisions extending her model to neighboring cities, offering more diverse training like forklift driving, and ensuring she has Spanish-speaking instructors to meet the needs of the entire community.
Beyond the practical aspect, Teresa Beardsley’s approach sends a strong message. A collaborator remarked to her, “Creating your own space to be fully yourself is not just for you […], you are giving other women permission to do the same.” By embodying this change, she hopes to not only transform the lives of the mothers she supports but also to inspire a new generation to envision a world where career and family are no longer opposing spheres, but two complementary facets of a rich and fulfilled life.