“I never thought I’d do this in my life, or that I had the personality of an entrepreneur.”
A specialized educator by training, with an additional certificate in addiction studies, Audrey Corriveau has had a busy career. She spent several years working in a rehab center for adolescents with substance use issues, then in socio-professional reintegration for young adults under 25. Throughout this journey, she became deeply curious about children aged 0-5, a critical developmental stage in life. Having devoted so many years to helping teens unlearn behaviors they had internalized during childhood, it made sense to her to shift her focus to younger children.
That’s how the idea of starting her own preschool environment came about. While conducting market research, she met the former owner of La petite école Vision, a preschool affiliated with the Réseau Vision, operating in two locations—Victoriaville and Warwick. Audrey discovered that the owner was willing to sell the business, so she jumped at the chance by submitting her application for the buyout.
After spending a year securing the necessary financing—supported in part by the SADC Arthabaska-Érable—she took over from Ms. Binette, the previous owner, whom she shadowed for a few weeks prior to officially assuming control in July 2015. At that point, a new challenge surfaced for the buyer: integrating with the existing team of 25 employees, all of whom stayed on board. To succeed in her managerial role and learn to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, Audrey chose to equip herself with additional continuous training and sought the guidance of two mentors.
Over the years, Audrey’s daily routine at La petite école Vision has changed considerably: not only has human resource management evolved significantly, but the developmental needs of toddlers have also shifted. After recruiting new staff to better serve the children’s needs, she restructured the team and established a management committee. Audrey therefore freed herself from day-to-day operational tasks, concentrating instead on finances, meeting the Ministry of Education’s requirements, and supervising her employees, among other responsibilities.
Now comfortable in her position, the buyer has many accomplishments to her credit. Always passionate about sustainable development, Audrey oversaw the replacement of the building’s heating system from fuel oil to a heat pump supplemented by solar panels. This innovative solution earned La petite école Vision the Prix développement durable at the Gala Nova in 2019. HR practices were also improved, including measures like fostering work-life balance and eliminating the longstanding gap between the wages and working conditions of the preschool’s educators and those in the public sector. Of course, the children—who attend the center to learn languages through play—benefit from these innovations as well: Audrey successfully engaged a parent committee to raise enough funds to revamp the outdoor play areas at both locations. “Every day, we see how the kids benefit and grow thanks to these changes. It’s truly wonderful,” she proudly notes.
Looking to the future—hoping to witness the realization of a 4-year-old kindergarten class in her establishment—Audrey continues to follow advice she received early in her career. Running a company can be extremely demanding, so she makes sure to schedule personal appointments with herself, engage in self-care, and recharge in order to keep moving forward at this pace.
petite.ecolevision.com
petite.ecolevision.com
