De Soto child care to expand

Parents in De Soto soon will have another option when it comes to infant care.

Teacher Beth Phillips reads to some of her students Monday in the 1- to 2-year-old class at Kiddie Korner. Because of the local demand for service in this age group, the day care will offer another class of 1- to 2-year-olds as well as infant care starting in February.

Kiddie Korner childcare facility is expanding its building by 2,000 square feet to add two more classrooms. One of the classrooms is designated for infant care -- a service that currently is offered in De Soto by in-home providers. The second classroom will serve 1- to 2-year-old children. The classes will open in February. Currently the center serves about 80 children, which includes those from other cities including Lawrence and Shawnee.

Brenda Clark, co-owner and business manager of Kiddie Korner, said the additions are being made in response to the growing demand for infant care and the waiting list for the classroom serving 1- to 2-year-old children.

> The center has been open for about a year.

"We didn't think we would have such a demand for infants throughout that last year, but our phones have been ringing off the hook for infant care, and we decided to cater to that," Clark said.

The infant room already opened for enrollment and is nearly full as there are only nine slots available, Clark said.

A shortage of available infant care is an issue in Johnson County, said Sara McElhenny, program director of the Hiersteiner Child Development Center that is owned and operated by Johnson County Community College.

"It's just a more delicate type of care to provide and a more expensive program to provide," she said. "I think the accident and liability insurance is a little higher."

Many childcare centers are hesitant to offer infant care because of the cost and liability, Clark said.

Full text available at the DeSoto Explorer