Lynn Rambharat has influenced, shaped, moulded and illuminated the minds and lives of thousands of children in Rio Claro, including her own five children.

Fondly called "Miss Lynn," the founder and principal of Lynn’s Preschool started the school 50 years ago, but is much more than a teacher and a principal in her hometown. She is a treasured member of the community, so much so that the street on which she lives is named after her – Lynn Street.

[caption id="attachment_1044956" align="alignnone" width="960"] Lynn Rambharat, left, with her family on Lynn Street, Rio Claro. -[/caption]

“They didn’t even consult me or anything, I just saw the name on the sign go up,” she told WMN.

And it generates quite a bit of excitement in her circle, as, “Whenever there’s a family get-together, they say, 'Come, let’s go and take some photographs…'”

Rambharat, the mother of former minister of agriculture Clarence Rambharat and head of the Hunters Search and Rescue team Vallence Rambharat, said her school has turned out many upstanding citizens, among them maths Olympians, national athletes, doctors, attorneys and national scholars.

"I am equally proud of all my students."

Rambharat was born in Tableland and moved to Rio Claro with her mother when she was 15. There she met and married Boysie Rambharat.

She recalled how she and her late husband often talked about how she “started out from nothing, never trained or anything, and three of (my) children have followed in my footsteps.”

She started the school with a school-leaving certificate, but now has an early childhood care and education certificate from the UWI Open Campus and a diploma in special education.

When Terrance, her eldest, entered Presentation College, Rambharat said she began to feel an urgency about doing what she could to contribute to the household.

[caption id="attachment_1044957" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of the students of Lynn's Preschool and his parent enjoys the food at the school's Divali celebration. -[/caption]

In the years before getting married and starting her family, and even before starting the school, she had worked with her sister-in-law, who had a preschool in Rio Claro. She had enjoyed working there, so when her sister-in-law decided to make a career change, she took the opportunity to start her own school.

In September 1973, she opened the doors of Lynn’s Preschool. It was originally in the busy commercial district of Rio Claro, but she soon moved to the basement of her home. She has had having three generations of students under her tutelage, and from time to time she has had past students on her staff.

She proudly recalls that her first intake was approximately 20 students, and without ever advertising, she has continued to attract students consistently over the years. At its peak, she estimates that she may have had close to 100 students.

Like almost all businesses, the school took a hit during the covid19 pandemic, and even though she transitioned to the online format, post-pandemic registration numbers