Page 126 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2022

presented by South Mississippi Living magazine
FRANCHESCA MOULTRIE Owner
ARNETTA CLOSET, Gulfport Premium Outlets • 601.342.0345 TODDLER TOWN ACADEMY • 228.205.3720
OVER THE RAINBOW ACADEMY • 228.285.7555
Facebook: Toddler Town Academy, Arnetta Closet, Franchesca Moultrie
Franchesca Moultrie has used her energy and drive to start and manage three thriving businesses, Toddler Town Academy, Over the Rainbow Academy and Arnetta Closet. It all began when her son Davonte’s sickle cell illness and frequent hospitalizations made it impossible for her to work a 9-5 job.
“At the time I was a single mother of four children (Davonte, Ja’ssiah, Imarianna and Brianna) on government assistance,” she recalls. “I knew I wanted a better life for my children. That’s when I started my first affordable childcare center to help single parents who couldn’t afford childcare.”
Her grandmother Arnetta, who raised Moultrie, was the inspiration for opening a boutique, Arnetta Closet. “I loved playing in her closet with her clothes, handbags and shoes. That’s why I used her name. She died when I was 12,” she says.
Moultrie strives to give parents a nice upscale childcare experience. “My childcare centers are not your average childcare centers,” she says. “I love that my parents feel safe while leaving their little ones with my staff and the children love coming to the center. Childcare is really my passion.”
She is pleased that her children have watched their mom bloom into a successful entrepreneur. “There have been
times when we didn’t have anything and couldn’t afford to
go anywhere, so we would make pallets on the floor and have movie nights. Or I would take them to the splash pad,” she says.
Moultrie feels she owes her success to her parents. Now she can take care of them. “When my father, Kenneth Beverly, was diagnosed with stage-four cancer, I thanked God that I was in a good position to take care of my parents since my dad was always the provider. I’ve never seen him not work. I had to step up and take on his responsibilities,” she says.
126 | September 2022
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