Child care chains are quickly following the arrival of young families and two-income households.
By JAMES THORNER
Published January 18, 2004
[Times photo: Lance Rothstein]
From left, Jordan Wilson, Jillian Stone and Kayla Deuell, all age 4, play at Kid's Stuff Preschool in Land O'Lakes on Friday.
When Jennifer Miller and her family moved to Florida from Connecticut last year, they faced a problem shared by loads of suburban Pasco County families: where to drop their child when mommy and daddy are at work.
"It was hard, actually. Not knowing a lot of people and going on my instincts," said Miller, a mother of two preschoolers who lives in Trinity's Fox Wood neighborhood.
A search pointed the way to Longleaf Learning Center at State Road 54 and Starkey Boulevard. Her daughter, Olivia, 4, has found a home away from home.
"I had a little trouble, but they kind of squeezed me in," Miller said of the 18-month-old Longleaf center.
"Squeezed" is the operative word. With Pasco putting up more than 5,000 new homes a year, most bought by families with children, child care has become a hot commodity.
Waiting lists have been a way of life for parents who send their kids to established child care centers and preschools such as Kid's Stuff in Land O'Lakes.
But such is the demand for kiddie care in Pasco's suburban belt running from Trinity to Wesley Chapel that new and relatively unknown centers find their classrooms swollen to capacity.
"It did very well, very early. It was beyond our expectations," said Longleaf founder Diane Corbett, who sold her center to Genesis Preschool Inc. last month as enrollment hit 160. "We were running a wait list after a year."
The increasing need for child care in suburban Pasco has caught the attention of a franchise out of Atlanta called Discovery Point.
To say Discovery Point is moving aggressively into southern Pasco is an understatement. Its first center opened in June at Fox Wood in Trinity and has filled 165 of 222 slots.
Four other centers, strategically placed next to Land O'Lakes and Wesley Chapel communities populated with young families, are scheduled to open in 2004-05: one each at Ivy Lake Estates, Oakstead, Lexington Oaks and Seven Oaks.
Discovery has found local franchisees for the proposed centers, situated intentionally "on the front edge of development," business development director Jack Gutkin said.
"Pasco is up-and-coming. It's growing. It's a young area as opposed to some areas in Florida that aren't young," Gutkin said. "We also look for areas where families have dual incomes."
Announcements for other child care businesses are springing up along the State Road 54 corridor. A recent one is for the Primrose School. The franchise has reserved a site at Collier Parkway and Weeks Boulevard in Land O'Lakes.
Existing centers in central Pasco include Creative Times Academy and Meadow Pointe Academy on County Line Road, All Kids Academy on Livingston Road, Childtime Children's Center on Collier Parkway and Sugar 'N Spice on U.S. 41.
Primary Training Preschool and Child Care has outgrown its 17-year-old building off SR 54 in Land O'Lakes and plans a center more than twice as big for 180 kids. "There's huge room for growth. The need for it is definitely there," said Primary's program coordinator Wendi McCauley.
The 1990 census showed more than half of Pasco homes were owned by someone 65 and older. By 2000, seniors owned only about a third of Pasco homes. And the percentage continues to drop as bedroom communities mushroom in the county.
Choosing a child care center - provided the center has openings - can be a challenge. Not all take infants and toddlers, so the supply in that age category is slimmer.
Parents increasingly demand less of a babysitting service and more of a preschool. Prices vary, but most local centers charge about $90 to $120 a week for care of a 4-year-old.
Kathy Peckett owns one of the oldest, Kid's Stuff in Land O'Lakes. The former school teacher founded the business in 1984 and cares for 260 kids. Peckett questioned whether the new franchises can compete with her.
"I am the owner of Kid's Stuff, and I'm not a franchise and not a chain. Parents appreciate that I'm on site and have been for 20 years," she said.
Discovery Point's Gutkin said his company can afford to be picky because it sifts through many applicants for each of its centers. The chain remains family-owned, albeit from Atlanta. A couple, Diane and Cliff Clark, started Discovery Point in 1988.
Recent changes to Florida law require day care directors to complete 45 hours of classroom training for certification.
"If we put a stinker inside it, that person will kill the business in six months," Gutkin said. "You can't make mistakes with people's children."
Center owners have noticed another trend in Pasco: Many of the newer families moving here are affluent enough so that one parent, usually mom, can stay at home.
But their kids attend day care anyway, at least part time. It gives children a chance to socialize with others in preparation for kindergarten.
- James Thorner covers growth and development in Pasco County. He can be reached at 813 909-4613 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4613. His e-mail address is thorner@sptimes.com
What to ask
Here are some questions to ask in choosing a child care center:
Are children grouped by age, interest area or ability?
Is play space clean/safe/adequate?
Who is the main person responsible?
How many children is each care provider responsible for (adult/child ratio)?
How much experience and/or education do the caregivers have?
Is a valid license posted and does the center adhere to the number of children it's licensed for?
Is the last licensing inspection available for review?
Is there an open-door policy for parents?
Are cots, mats and cribs clean for rest and naps?
Are adults trained in first aid and CPR?
What is the cost per child and what does it include (food, diapers, laundry, toys, educational materials)?
Is there a list of daily activities?
What are the hours of operation, including vacations and holidays?
What is the discipline policy?
- Source: Hillsborough County Child Care Licensing Program
