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Kids R Us marks 20 years

Students from Kids R Us Early Learning Center in Saranac Lake stand together hand-in-hand after a hike to the top of Mt. Baker. (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE — Kids R Us Early Learning Center started a tradition recently where graduating high school seniors who went to pre-kindergarten or were cared for as infants at the center come back for a visit.

“They come back on graduation day and meet the preschool students that they used to be a part of all those years prior,” said Kids R Us administrator Collen Locke. “It makes us feel old, but it’s great when they come back.”

Locke said the visits are a reminder of “how long we’ve been in this.” Kids R Us is celebrating its 20th year as a preschool and local daycare provider, a milestone that Locke says isn’t very common.

“In this industry, for a private business person, it’s not heard of very often,” she said. “It’s been a huge success, and my teachers are a huge part of that.”

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival King John Wamsganz and Queen Anita Meserole visit Kids R Us Early Learning Center in Saranac Lake. (Photos provided)

Beginnings

Before she started Kids R Us, Locke was the director of an on-campus child care center run by North Country Community College.

After it shut down, she approached the college’s Board of Trustees in the fall of 1996 about renting space from the college to start her own private child care center and preschool. The board approved, and in January 1997, Kids R Us opened in what’s called the annex, a trailer located behind the college’s River Street Hall.

At that time it was a smaller operation than it is now, Locke explained.

“We were primarily a toddler and a preschool program,” she said. “Our license at the time was for 37 children, and at that time we had full enrollment.”

It’s lunch time for kids in the pre-K 3 program at Kids R Us Early Learning Center in Saranac Lake. (Photo provided)

A year-and-a-half later, Locke wrote a grant application to the state and was awarded $91,000 to expand its operations into two classrooms in the college’s River Street Hall. It’s license grew to 79 children, where it currently stands, allowing the center to accept infants and school-age kids into its programs.

Enrollment

Locke says Kids R Us caters to a mixture of local families and non-traditional college students.

“We have a large base of children whose parents work at the local hospitals, federal and state prisons, and children of the adult learners at the college,” she said. “The college has always been really supportive. I know they feel what we offer is a wonderful retention tool for existing students and a recruitment tool for new students who have children.”

Enrollment can be cyclical, Locke explained. She said it dipped in late 2009 and early 2010, in the wake of the recession, because families stopped or delayed having children. It’s since rebounded and continues to be steady, she said, even as public school enrollment in the Saranac Lake Central School District continues to decline.

“I haven’t seen a huge decline in enrollment myself,” she said. “We have a very large, four-year-old group this year for universal pre-K. I do see families that are migrating to our area. We just recently had two families that are relocating from the New York City area, giving up their corporate jobs and coming up here.

“We’re also seeing a trend in some of the young families that they’re opting for a third child where they used to stop at one or two. It will be interesting to see in three or four years if the trend in the district starts to increase again.”

Curriculum, staff

This fall will mark the 18th year that Kids R Us has provided universal pre-K in cooperation with the school district. Locke said the center’s curriculum is aligned with the district’s reading and math program.

“We purchase the same materials they would have once they go into kindergarten so our program complements theirs,” she said. “We adhere to all of the Common Core standards.”

The school also teaches children in its preschool and summer camp programs to give back to the community by collecting canned goods for the local food pantry and donating proceeds from a lemonade stand to a local family in need.

Kids R Us has a staff of 10 people, many of whom have been with Locke for five years or longer and hold degrees in elementary education and physical education, or child development credentials.

Locke singled out teacher Angie Mose, whose been with Kids R Us for 19 of its 20-plus years and “has been an integral part of the success of the program.”

“She’s had an impact on hundreds of kids over the years,” Locke said. “Angie is definitely my right-hand person. Just a very valued and treasured teacher here.”

“Each day something new happens, so you never get bored,” Mose said. “I will say that having the same great staff for so many years helps to make each day go smoothly.”

Cost, state regulations

Keeping the cost of care down for working families in the area has been the biggest challenge over the years, Locke said.

“I have a lot of empathy for local families. I’ve raised a large family myself, so I understand where they are coming from,” she said. “I can literally see the anguish on some of the families faces when they’re trying to pay their child care bill and also trying to put a roof over their head and food on their table.”

Over the years, Locke said she’s provided scholarship money to some families, when possible, to help offset their costs.

She cited keeping up with new regulations as another challenge.

“Albany is famous for spinning out new regulations on an annual basis that we have to look at and adhere to,” Locke said. “There’s a couple new trainings that they’re requiring staff to do. That always makes the job very interesting, making sure you are up to date on new regulations.”

‘Good place’

Locke said she doesn’t see Kids R Us expanding any further in the coming years. Bigger isn’t always better, she said.

“Sometimes business owners run the risk of expanding to a point where it’s no longer fun or a passion,” she said. “We’re providing great service to the children but we’re not overextending ourselves too much. I think the center is in a really good place.”

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