March 13, 2008 - Kids Korner has literally grown up right along with the children it has served since first opening its doors, in the basement of the old Catholic school, in 1983.
"We started the first day with 14 children and now we have an average of about 75 daily," said Director Janet Hennigar, who is only the third person to hold the position over those 25 years. "We have about 105 children total, but not all are here all the time. We are only licensed for 89 per day. We currently serve about 70 families."
In March of 1983 the first board meeting was held for the center, and the annual meeting with election of directors has taken place every March since. The first Board consisted of: Terry Kreitlow (President); Debbie Hillestad (Secretary); Bud Gates (Treasurer); Mary Weir, Connie Hill, Diane Schroeder, Joanne Whyte and Rick Urness. Marlys McNutt was the first director for the center and served in that position until 1983.
"The big thing initially was investigating what the process was for obtaining nonprofit status," said Hennigar. Ten years later, the Board faced the task of finding a new location. "The church school was being condemned and would be torn down," said Hennigar. "The Methodist Church was used for a time before we could finish the remodeling and move in here."
The remodeling she refers to was on the north side of the Clarion-Goldfield Middle School, which is their current location. "The school would provide the room in the old shop area, but we had to come up with the $30,000 to remodel it for our use," said Hennigar. Many fund-raisers were held and donations secured before the project was successfully completed. Part of the project involved an expanded nursery area, which would be in part of the new school addition. "This location is ideal for us," said Hennigar, who has been the Director since July of 1998.
Prior to that, Lisa Marshall served for 15 years as Director. "I think Kevin Geis was the person most responsible for getting us into the school location," said Marshall. "We were licensed for only 40 children at the Catholic School building and were turning people away due to lack of space. We more than doubled the number we could take. It's the best move we could have made."
Marshall credits the community for keeping Kids Korner going all these years. "It's come a long way," said Marshall. "The support wasn't always easy to get early on, but now it seems people are more willing to donate or help. The make up of the Board has changed since that time, too, and I feel that makes a difference."
Marshall looks back fondly on her time spent at the Center. "We had fun," said Marshall. "I spent most of my time in the nursery area. It became very rewarding for me to hear first words or see first steps. Now I've gotten to see those same kids at the high school and have taken their pictures. That's pretty neat."
The nursery area is separated from the larger classroom area and is for children from two weeks up to two years. Kids Korner is allowed no more than 12 in the nursery at a time, due to staffing and square footage restrictions. "When they're at about 20 months old, we start the transition out here to be with the older children," said Hennigar. "We can have children up to 12 years old, but usually by age ten or eleven the parents will do something different rather than leave them here."
The children gradually arrive each day over a period of time, so a typical schedule begins with the older kids going off to their regular school classrooms and the younger ones having a story time or hearing something shared by one of the teachers, such as a recent trip. They have their a.m. supplement (snack) followed by music time, individual class time, and then free time which can include some outdoor time when the weather allows it. The tables are then sanitized in preparation for lunch.
After lunch, children again can have some free time which includes centers they can go to with either puzzles, books or blocks among others. The younger children then have nap time, while the four and five year-old children have a story time. The older children follow that with their nap, with the younger children allowed to do quiet play as they wake up from their naps. Another story time is followed by the p.m. supplement, and soon the rest of the kids return from the regular school.
"The big push now is five servings of fruits or vegetables a day," said Hennigar. "We try to hit that with healthy snacks for them. "We also have different age groups together, so what I like is that siblings can be together all day."
Hennigar explains that the schedule is necessary. "We are required to provide a set schedule of activities," said Hennigar. "The children do have bits of time throughout the day to do what they like."
Hennigar notes how times have changed from when she first started as Director. "Ten years ago most kids were here 40 hours a week, while now most are here only 20 to 25 hours a week," said Hennigar. "It shows the difference today in parents' work schedules. We do have a few at 55 hours a week, which is close to the maximum. That helps to still keep the money coming in, but we're seeing those kids a lot then." They also strive to treat all of them the same. "We try to have the parents give us any helpful hints about their child," said Hennigar. "We see very few temper tantrums."
According to Hennigar, the facility is inspected and then licensed by the Department of Human Services every two years. "They can and do make unannounced visits, up to five times a year," said Hennigar. "They want to feel comfortable with things here." She feels that Steve Brown, the Child Care Consultant with DHS, is very easy to work with. "He smiles about this place," said Hennigar. "He told me that he usually gets a feel for the good daycare centers and that he knows we have a good one here. He said he can tell that the children are happy here."
Hennigar is quick to credit her great employees for that good feeling. "I keep hearing about a big turnover of employees in daycare centers," said Hennigar. "We have a low turnover and are fortunate that these ladies have chosen to stay here. It's true that the wages are low, with no insurance, but it's the love of the job and the children that keeps them coming back. They work hard and give so much to them. I don't think the parents really realize it all."
The longtime employees include Sandy Carlson (11 years) and Mary Carlson (approaching 10 years). In addition, Jane Abbott is a full-time cook who has been there just over five years now. "We have had our own kitchen since 2000," said Hennigar. "We follow State Nutrition Guidelines and the kids just love Jane's cooking." Part-time employee Connie Hinton also does a nutritional activity each day before lunch. "She teaches the children about vitamins, fiber and the quality of the food," said Hennigar. "We also have an adult sitting at every table if the children have questions. They remember what we tell them."
The Kids Korner employees do receive some training through ISU Extension, and each must take ten hours per year of Continuing Education training. They are required to have current CPR and first aid certification, along with mandatory reporter and universal precautions training.
Hennigar also explained that a new quality rating scale is currently being promoted by the State. "It was a lot of work, but we completed the paperwork for Level II certification," said Hennigar. "We want to eventually increase that to Level III. The rating will help parents to know what to expect in looking for a quality daycare center. We're always trying to evaluate what we do here."
Hennigar credits the current board members for being very good to work with, as everyone has the children's best interests at heart. The current board is comprised of: Chris Carpenter, President; Brenda Carpenter, Vice President; Tanya Bierl, Secretary; Leroy Jensen, Treasurer, Rod Brooks and Brad Traub. "We need to replace one board member at the Annual Meeting," said Hennigar. "If anyone wants to serve, we would love that. You can contact me or just come to the meeting."
To help celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Kids Korner invites everyone to an Open House this Friday, March 14 from 10-11 a.m. Please use the north door entrance.
Hennigar and her staff are proud of the facility and the success they have had in being around all these years. They invite the community to come in and see what a special place this is and why these kids love coming back each day.
"We work very hard to make each child's day special," said Hennigar. "These ladies do a service to the community, and we all want the children to feel confident and good about themselves. I keep hearing good compliments over the years and we sincerely appreciate that. It's what keeps us going."
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