State’s largest stand-alone child care center starts construction

Michael and Leslie Smith didn’t exactly set out to build what they believe is the state’s largest stand-alone child care center – but that’s what they’ll ceremonially break ground on later this week.

The Smiths, who have four children, including 7-year-old twins, set out to provide an alternative option for families after struggling with their own child care needs.

“We had an unfortunate experience and thought we don’t want this to happen to anybody else, so this is our way to make an impact,” said Michael Smith, who will focus on the center while his wife works elsewhere.

The Smiths discovered the Kids ‘R’ Kids franchise through a family friend who has one in South Carolina, and they decided to bring the model to Sioux Falls.

“We did a lot of research, and one of the things we really liked was their philosophy of ‘hug first, then teach.’ We plan on loving as our core principle, not only loving the students under our care but our parents, our teachers and our community,” Smith said.

And that could be a lot of students. The 17,000-square-foot building beginning construction at 85th Street and Western Avenue will be licensed for up to 255 students, from 6 weeks old to 12 years, including before- and after-school and summer care.

There were multiple features of Kids ‘R’ Kids that appealed to the Smiths, he said.

“They have a lot of good safety features not typically seen in child care, including live-feed cameras viewable on mobile devices, and all our interior walls are glass, so no child can get isolated anywhere,” he said.

“Multiple teachers can see from multiple rooms, and we found those glass walls really help with transition as children get older because they’re able to see what’s going on in the room next to them, plus they can look back if they had a strong connection with their previous teacher.”

Kids ‘R’ Kids will offer a nationally recognized curriculum; a STEAM lab for activities around science, technology, engineering, art and math; enrichment programs with outside organizations such as the Great Plains Zoo; and an on-site chef.

“Meals will be homemade and cooked on-site every day. Especially with my background, I’m big on nutrition,” said Smith, who has worked for GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

Four playgrounds will be designed by age group, and there will be an indoor-turf play area.

“They’ll be able to ride bikes, kick balls, do all that fun stuff,” Smith said. “The indoor area will have large garage doors, so we can open them and get the fresh air.”

Each classroom also will have a restroom to help with potty training, and there will be a “boo boo room” for isolating kids who become sick or hurt.

“Something a lot of people are excited about that we have is our HVAC system. We have an infrared sanitation system that kills 99 percent of bacteria and viruses,” Smith said. “COVID is on the list, influenza, all the main ones you see in a child care facility. So when I heard that, I knew it was something we had to do.”

There also will be bus service from area elementary schools, with seat belts and a “no child left behind” alarm system, he added.

“A lot of these features are standard in larger cities, and we feel families in Sioux Falls should benefit from these ideas,” he said.

The plan is to open Kids ‘R’ Kids Prairie Hills in May. Rates will be near the top of the market but so will pay for staff, Smith said. That includes offering scholarships to teachers who are in college or looking to go back for more education.

“We feel by offering scholarships, if someone is in the education field looking to advance themselves … and cares about children, looking to make a career, we think those are high-quality candidates, and we want to help in that endeavor.”

The plan is to begin the search for a director of the center in November, followed by other leadership roles early next year.

An official groundbreaking is scheduled for Friday.