As a former fashion designer, the concept of finding the perfect fit is very important to Veenu Parkash. After moving to the United States from her birthplace in New Delhi, India in 1995, Veenu joined her new husband Raj to pursue their career in fashion in the heart of New York's bustling garment district. Following six years of great success and a growing family, the advent of September 11 would have a life-changing effect on the couple. Not only was it a terrifying time for the entire city and country, Raj and Veenu found themselves trapped in the city and unable to get to their young daughter, who was a student at a childcare facility in Iselin, NJ called Rainbow Academy®.
The couple took great comfort in the fact that their child was in good hands, but soon moved their business to New Jersey to avoid a future recurrence. Still, the demands of their career choice meant a great deal of travel and regular visits to New York. The two started examining their lives in earnest as they contemplated making a change. A fateful meeting with Guy Falzarano, the founder of Rainbow Academy Early Learning Centers, would soon lead both Raj and Veenu down an entirely new path.
Veenu, a mother of two who has always loved children, was impressed with the Rainbow Academy business model. She liked their "Circle of Care" philosophy, which seeks to treat the needs of the parents on an equal level with the needs of the child. She and her husband could clearly see that, with the necessity for childcare on the rise, this was an up-and-coming industry that held great promise. One that they both felt they could be a part of.
Raj and Veenu opened the doors of their first Rainbow Academy child care center in North Brunswick, NJ in August 2004. Word quickly spread of the unique family atmosphere at the early learning center, as well as the personable owners and their superb staff. The center flourished. It's no surprise that the center often operated at 100% occupancy in large part due to the referrals from the Rainbow families ...both current and alumni.
Raj and Veenu have continued to work diligently to build something very special at Rainbow Academy of North Brunswick. Hundreds of families attend their annual anniversary celebrations. The center hosts reunions for its former students and year after year, they return to attend the summer camp program which fills up every spring.
With eight years of sweat equity put into the business, Raj and Veenu opened their second Rainbow Academy franchise in September 2012. Within three months, the center was 50% occupied and whole new sets of families were welcomed into the Rainbow Academy Circle of Care. While Veenu currently spends time between their two Rainbow Academy centers, managing the day-to-day operations, Raj is scouting for a third location. "It's been such an amazing journey, one that we could have never dreamed of," said Veenu. "There is more than one pot of gold at the end of our Rainbow!"
