Skip to main content

McCook Bee Little Childcare & Preschool Expanding

Amanda and Josh Mullen have grown their business to meet the growing demands for childcare in McCook, Nebraska.

spilled bucket of chalk with children's drawing on pavement.

Omaha, Nebraska – Bee Little Childcare & Preschool in McCook is growing faster than the children it serves, tripling its staff at its initial location and opening a second location in May.

Amanda Mullen, who owns the business with her husband, Josh, was working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) when the owner of a McCook daycare was interested in selling the business. Mullen spoke with Andy Long, the former executive director of the McCook Economic Development Corporation, who put her in touch with the consultant at the local Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) office.

NBDC is a resource that offers Nebraska business owners and entrepreneurs confidential business consulting services at no-cost, leading to the growth, development, and strengthening of local businesses for a healthy economy and prosperous community. NBDC is a center of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with offices located across the state, including in McCook.

She began working with the NBDC in late 2019 and obtained services including help with a business plan, financial projections and market research. “It was huge for me,” Mullen recalls. “I could walk into the bank with the information I needed and feel much more confident.”

The Mullens took over the existing daycare in May 2020 and have since tripled the number of teachers and staff to 25 and quadrupled the number of children under their care.

“There is such a growing need for quality, safe childcare here in McCook and the surrounding area,” Mullen says.

Most recently, the Mullens have secured a second location, situated in a McCook nursing home. It is a pre-existing childcare that had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mullen says they have been hard at work getting the facility ready and hiring another 10 to 12 staff members.

She says the NBDC has been a reliable source of knowledgeable guidance throughout the ownership process.

“I would 100 percent recommend their services,” Mullen says. “I had never owned a business before, and it can be scary not knowing the next step to take. Whenever we had questions, the NBDC was right there to answer them. They even helped us think of things we hadn’t considered.”