By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Nick and Andrea Felder knew they were headed for a big life change when the couple found out they were pregnant again nine months after the birth of their twins.
The couple was living in Topeka and working for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Nick has a degree in structural engineering, and Andrea worked in accounting.
With a third child younger than 3 soon to come into their household, the couple wanted to move back to western Kansas, where they were raised.
When they started inquiring about child care, Nick said people laughed at them. Child care slots were extremely difficult to find in Hays at that time, and it was almost impossible to find three open slots for siblings younger than 2.
"That's when we realized what need there was for something," Nick said. "That's when we combined the need for us to combine career paths with the obvious need for child care and just the love for our kids and our family's kids, nieces and nephews."
The Felders decided to take a leap of faith. They set out to open a child care center, Bright Minds Academy.
As the couple worked through the red tape of buying land and rezoning property on Wheatland Drive, Nick was also studying to receive his child care center director certification.
The couple also sold their house and moved into a small townhome to have the capital to invest in the center.
"We just knew we wanted to get back here," Andrea said.
The center opened in January 2020.
Well, we all know what happened next— the pandemic hit.
The Felders were able to remain open during the pandemic. They had door drop-off and special precautions that included temperature checks. The Ellis County Health Department also allowed the center to maintain a room for COVID-positive children.
Andrea said another significant challenge has been staffing. State regulations require a minimum number of adults in each classroom. If someone is sick, they must scramble to find someone to substitute or be forced to send children home.
Nick and Andrea substitute, but they have also hired a full-time staff member who can alternate between classes as needed.
"It's a stressor every single day," Andrea said.
The center's mission is to provide the next generation with the best quality of care and education.
Nick said centers have an advantage in that children can socialize and learn with their peers. The center also doesn't have to close. In-home providers might have to close if someone is sick.
The center serves children from birth through 5 and provides age-appropriate education. Under Kansas' newly revised regulations, the Wheatland center is licensed for 63 children.
"We know that 0 to 5, they learn primarily through play-based learning," Nick said.
Andrea said they modeled their center after a similar facility their twins attended when they were younger.
The center offered extracurricular activities, so the parents had opportunities to get to know each other. She said it felt like a family, and that's what the Felders wanted for Bright Minds.
The Felders said they have reaped the rewards of working with children and families.
"It's definitely more stressful than our previous jobs," Andrea said, "but the payback is 10 fold. I feel like our quality of life is a lot better. It is a lot more fulfilling.
"Just this last year, we had preschoolers graduate who started with us in the infant room. Just seeing them from here to there, some tears were shed."
Nick also shared his memories.
"The kids walking through the door and their faces lighting up to see you and see their teachers and be happy to be here, it's hard to describe the feeling you get from that versus working in insurance," he said.
The Felders now have four children. The twins are 7, and all four of the children have attended Bright Minds. The youngest of the four started coming to the center when he was 2 weeks old.
"It was a motivating factor," Nick said. "We get to work with kids, but we also get to see our kids anytime down the hall if we wanted to."
Parent James Robben nominated the Felders for the October Child Care Champion Award.
"Bright Minds Academy not only provides child care, but they provide a warm and educational learning environment for the children," Robben said. "I'm so glad we decided to send our children to Bright Minds. Nick, Andrea, and all of the staff at BMA do an amazing job. It really feels like an in-home family day care, but with the education qualities we were looking for."
One year ago, HaysMed opened a child care center on its campus. The hospital contracts with the Felders to operate that facility, which is licensed for 84 children.
The Grove Community Center will open next year, and the Felders will also contract to operate it.
Bright Minds is taking deposits to hold spots at The Grove. Under the new regulations, The Grove will be able to accommodate up to 83 children.
Because The Grove community center will also be the new home to the Hays Senior Center, the Felders also hope to incorporate an intergenerational aspect to that center.
Nick said the child care capacity in Hays has increased substantially since the couple opened Bright Minds.
"We want the people who were in our shoes six years ago and got chuckled at on the phone to be able to call and actually find care and be able to move here," he said.
Both of the facilities they manage now are almost full.
The couple said Hays should be close to meeting its child care needs once The Grove is completed. They would like to expand and open child care homes in more rural areas of the region.
Andrea, 38, attended school in Victoria, and Nick, 37, attended school through middle school in Ransom.
"We don't want to see those types of communities fizzle out because of a problem like child care," Nick said.
Nick said Bright Minds could not be possible without its staff.
"We just manage the chaos," he said. "It's really our teachers and our staff who do the Lord's work in here. We couldn't do anything without the good people we have here."