It Takes a Village: How itavi is Redefining Childcare at Acqualina Resort
By Lori Capullo
When Ayana Rodriguez founded itavi, she wasn’t just launching a childcare service—she was restoring a way of life. The name itself is an acronym for “it takes a village,” with a soft “i” at the end to reflect the personal, nurturing approach that defines her mission. Born from the reality that modern parenting no longer benefits from the close-knit village of moms, aunts, cousins, and neighbors of generations past, itavi steps in to fill that gap with professional childcare that is both deeply personal and thoughtfully structured.
Rodriguez’s vision emerged from a realization many working parents can relate to: As women increasingly joined the workforce and families became more geographically spread out, the support system once surrounding child-rearing began to dissolve. The comforting familiarity of Grandma’s house or a cousin’s helping hand was replaced with institutional childcare—reliable, perhaps, but often impersonal and inconsistent in quality.
This is where itavi makes its mark.
The brand provides elevated, enriching childcare experiences in luxury hospitality settings, and nowhere is that vision more clearly realized than in itavi’s partnership with Acqualina Resort. Nestled on the pristine beaches of Sunny Isles, Florida, Acqualina isn’t just a five-star destination—it’s also a place where families can feel genuinely supported.
At Acqualina, itavi manages and operates the Acquamarine Kids’ Club, providing curated experiences through what Rodriguez calls the itavi Method: a five-pillar approach that focuses on arts and crafts, learning, local cultural immersion, playtime, and exercise. Each element is designed to engage children where they are, both developmentally and emotionally, especially after long travels that can strain young nervous systems.
“We meet children at eye level,” Rodriguez says. “Our team isn’t just made up of babysitters—they’re teachers, guidance counselors, trained professionals who understand how to manage behavior and connect with kids in meaningful ways.” These aren’t summer job hires. They’re experienced childcare providers who’ve undergone emotional intelligence testing, rigorous background checks, and extensive hospitality training to ensure they align with the luxury standards of the resort.
Rodriguez emphasizes that hospitality experience is just as important as child-care expertise. “You can be amazing with kids, but that doesn’t automatically mean you understand what it means to represent a luxury hotel,” she explains. “Our goal is for guests to see our staff not as third-party providers, but as part of the Acqualina team.”
Perhaps one of the most striking distinctions of itavi’s model is its no-screen policy. In a world where devices dominate downtime, itavi dares to go “back to basics”—and the results speak for themselves. Rodriguez recalls a mother coming in in tears after seeing her daughter, who had become socially withdrawn during the pandemic, flourish in the kids’ club environment, running and laughing with other children for the first time in months. “Screens isolate,” Rodriguez says. “But when you give kids something meaningful to do, they don’t miss the devices. They thrive.”
And thrive they do—through STEM learning, yoga, collaborative play, and even learning how to look adults in the eye when speaking. “It’s a lost art,” Rodriguez says. “But kids still crave that connection, and when we give them the tools, they rise to it.”
Ultimately, itavi is more than childcare. It’s a return to community, a modern-day village built on trust, safety, and emotional intelligence. In partnership with Acqualina, it’s creating not just a place for children to be looked after—but a place where they can grow, connect, and belong.
