Bilingual Beginnings: How One Woman Is Shaping Burien's Future, One Child at a Time

This article originally appeared on and was written for Burien, WA Economic Development by Golden Shovel Agency.

In the quiet hum of Burien's neighborhoods, a powerful transformation is happening inside a family home and a modest preschool classroom. It's where English and Spanish blend together, where toddlers sing in two languages, and where working parents know their kids are safe and thriving.

Quality childcare has become an integral part of a vibrant community, helping to increase opportunities for working parents. Emphasizing early brain development in these formative years helps develop the basis for school readiness and provides lasting, lifelong benefits.  

Diana Llanes Macias, founder of Once Upon a Time Early Childhood Bilingual Family Home Daycare and Early Learning Bilingual Academy (ELBA), is at the heart of it all. These two women-owned businesses are helping to reshape early education and community empowerment in Burien.

“I Was Already Home, So I Built Something for It”

Diana didn't pick Burien by chance. She's lived here for 19 years and built her life here long before she opened her doors to toddlers and early education students. With over a decade of experience in childcare and a passion for early learning, opening her own daycare felt like the natural next step.

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