By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
It was quiet Tuesday at the Bright Minds Academy, 2106 Wheatland, as owners Nick and Andrea Felder wrap up last-minute details at their new child care center. But Wednesday, the facility will open its doors allowing children to enjoy for the first time colorful toys, walls and carpets in the newest child care center in Hays.
It has been a long process for Felders, who moved back to Hays last year to build and open the facility, but despite a few bumps along the way they only missed their original opening date by a few days.
“We were supposed to be open Monday, so we are only a couple of days behind,” Andrea said.
“Given all of the obstacles we faced we feel like we did pretty well to overcome them and get to this point,” Nick said.
The couple did a lot of the interior work themselves, including painting and insulating.
“We’ve spent a lot of late nights here,” Andrea said.
They also credit their contractor, Jason Robben, with helping to keep the project moving forward quickly.
“He has been our general contractor and has basically taken care of everything we needed,” Andrea said.
Even as the center opens, some outside work will continue, as they will continue to expand the playground area and work to finish exterior paint details.
Inside, though, the center boasts some high-tech touches that will help keep parents informed with the children’s activities and academic achievements.
“We have a ton of cool stuff,” Andrea said.
To get into the building, parents will have access to an app that allows them to touch their phone to a pad that will allow entry.
“Other than that, doors are locked at all times,” Andrea said.
There is a check-in monitor, and another app that is integrated where they can access daily reports and message their child’s teacher in real time, with a full report delivered to their phone at the end of each day.
There will also be cameras inside so parents can check in on their child.
And all of the doors are tied into the fire alarm system that closes all interior doors in the case of a fire.
“It gives teachers plenty of time to get their kids loaded up and out the doors,” Nick said.
While working on getting the facilities ready they also navigated the complex regulations of opening a new child care center, finding some of their original ideas required changes due to the way the age ranges are split into classrooms.
With those changes, the center will open with 36 children, ramping up to 46 during the year as the children age and move into different classrooms.
“We are pretty much full,” Andrea said. “I can’t take any more kids until 2021.”
After settling into the new classroom age plan in the future, the center will accommodate up to 59 children.
Part of the first year will also include working with the children to get them accustomed to a child center atmosphere that will use Scholastic classroom materials, appropriate to the child's age.
“Our first year is going to be getting kids up to speed on how a center works and what to expect with the curriculum,” Nick said.
The Felders hope to set a high bar for the students that come out of the center.
“We want to develop that reputation of when kids leave here they are really prepared, they are above expectations for when they get into the school system,” Nick said. “We want kindergarten teachers to want our kids.”
But even with the doors opening Wednesday, the Felders know the work is just beginning.
“It takes a while to build the culture,” Nick said. “A lot of these kids have never been to a center before,” Andrea said. “So they are not used to the structured days and they are not used to a curriculum.”
Even with the long hours and hard work they have already put in, and the challenges that remain, they are looking forward to opening the doors to begin working with the children and making the center their own.
“We are excited to see it mold, morph and take shape,” Nick said.
For more about Bright Minds Academy, visit the center's Facebook page.
