Wednesday, Jan. 05, 2011

Need child care? Triangle business says drop right in

Right Time Kids gives parents the option of spontaneity

When Lori Klein goes to the grocery store, she often runs into people who tell her how much Right Time Kids, a Triangle-based drop-in child care business, has helped their family and, in some cases, even saved their marriage.

Klein, CEO and president of Right Time Kids USA and Right Time Kids Franchising, has parents share with her how they are now able to spontaneously go on dates together or visit with their aging parents in the hospital during the day because they have a place to care for their children.

At Right Time Kids, which has six Triangle locations, parents can bring their children ages 18 months and walking to 12 years old for a few hours without advance notice and pay only for the time their kids are at the center. Each location offers age appropriate toys, place to play and even a climbing wall. Kids who are 8 years old can hang out in the Blue Room, which is a space designed by Klein's son to meet the needs of older kids and includes a pool table, video games and table tennis. All staff members are background checked and certified in first aid and CPR.

Klein said that in addition to learning independence and sharing, the children get to interact with other kids of different ages.

"Here you have a 2-year-old and a 12-year-old pretending to cook a meal together and both kids having a great time," said Klein, 46, of Raleigh.

Right Time Kids went from three stores in 2009 to six stores in 2010, including the first two franchised locations. Two more Triangle location will open in the near future along with several out-of-state centers.

When Klein went from becoming a stay-at-home mom to a single mom, she was looking for a way to support her two kids but still be available for her children.

"Right Time Kids enabled me to make a living but it enabled me to have my children as part of that business," Klein said.

But when she opened the Durant Road location of Right Time Kids location in 2005, she realized that, as a result, she was also customer because she uses the centers as child care for her own children.

"When I hire staff I make sure that they are good enough to watch my kids," Klein said.

When Beth Barnes, 37, of Wake Forest first heard about drop-in child care, she assumed it was not for her because she is too picky about who watches her 2-year-old son Jake. But after finding Right Time Kids, she felt comfortable with the staff and environment. And because she doesn't have family in the area, she uses the center to run errands or shop. She said her son loves going there because he has new toys to play with and often asks for the employees by name.

"It is a quality place with quality people," Barnes said.

While many parents use Right Time Kids to go on date nights and doctor appointments, other parents use the centers when they need to do work tasks, volunteer in an older child's class at school or to spend one-on-one time with one child.

Groups training for events, such as marathons or triathlons, also bring their children to Right Time Kids and then go train as a group. The centers also give two free hours of childcare to parents who are going on a job interview.

To help parents find affordable child care during the summer and during school track outs, weeklong theme-based camps are offered for $100 a week for half days and $175 for 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. care.

Right Time Kids also will hold one-hour after-school Club Invention Classes at the Wake Forest and North Raleigh locations where kids will complete unique projects based on a curriculum designed to increase science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competencies.

A sample class, free with paid child care, will be offered Jan. 17 at the Wake Forest location, where kids will make snow and motorized critters.

"The kids and parents come first to us," Klein said. "We do this for the community, families, marriages and children."