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Kids Cottage offers alternative for child care
New Center to open in Rehoboth Beach
By: Maggie Beetz
Starting next fall, parents will have a safe and fun place to leave their children for spontaneous Saturday night dates or while running errands during the week. This unique alternative to babysitting also offers birthday party packages, monthly classes, pre-school and after school tutoring.
Local mother Lori Schell and her friend and mother-to-be Taryn Burris are opening Kids Cottage, a drop-in play and learning center for children ages 2 to 12. Schell said she came up with the idea about a year ago when she no place to take her 9-month-old son to play.
"This has been a major project," said Schell, who said the women think they've thought of everything but encourage suggestions for this multipurpose, one-stop-shop for children of Sussex County.
Parents can drop off their kids at Kids Cottage instead of dragging them along to the doctor's appointments or while shopping, but they can also stay and meet other parents, enjoy complimentary coffee and tea in the second floor café and use the overlook to observe their children playing on the first floor.
"Parents can stay and hang out and talk to each other, or they can just leave," Burris said.
"We're trying to make everything as easy as possible for parents and for us," Schell said. She said finding a venue for children's activities is a challenge because there are no nearby Chucky Cheeses, roller rinks or bowling alleys.
Kids Cottage will have beach themed facades and storefronts for each classroom and playroom. The center of the building will be an open play area where parents and employees can observe the kids.
Along the walls of the two-floor facility will be rooms posing as a surf shop, bookstore, beach rescue, theater and other beach town stops. There will be a closed-in playgroup area outside including a basketball court. Construction is under way for the facility on Wolfe Neck Road, off Route 1 behind Wa Wa at Midway.
Schell and Burris, both former teachers, decided to incorporate education in the center and include a preschool starting next September. "We both have the background, and we both love education," Burris said. Morning preschool will be available for 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds - minnows, sand crabs, starfish and seahorses - from 9:30 a.m. to noon, several days a week. Schell and Burris have already hired two preschool teachers and provide applications for a variety of positions on their website.
"We want to be known as the best place with the most highly qualified people," Schell said.
Monthly classes will include lessons for kids of all ages on arts and crafts, sign language, foreign language, cooking, computer, handwriting and dance among other topics. A calendar will provide details on instructors, dates and fees. After-school tutoring will include reading, writing and math skills, computer and homework help for children ages 5 to 12.
For an hourly rate parents can drop off their children 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Thursday, until 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Drop-in child care offers children a variety of settings in which to play, such as a children's theater, arts and crafts room, media center and an indoor outdoor play area.
Kids Cottage also offers Parent's Night Out on Friday and Saturday nights, which includes movies, popcorn and drinks for kids and the chance for an evening out for parents.
As parents, Burris said Kids Cottage will make things easier on them as well. "It also allows us to do what we love to do," Burris said.
Schell and Burris will host a wine-and-cheese night this spring to present information to mothers and fathers and give them a chance to ask questions and offer suggestions. They also plan to hold an open house at Kids Cottage for the public once construction and design is complete.
Parents can find preschool registration forms for next fall, information on security and safety at the facility and details on rates and programs by visiting www.kidscottage.com. Qualified educators and supervisors are also encouraged to visit the website for online applications.
"Our goal is for this to be the social and activity hub for families," Schell said.
From The Cape Gazette
