Serving children
Janet Hennigar watches over Clarion kidsBy KAREN WELD Messenger correspondent
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CLARION - For Janet Hennigar, the past 10 years have been a labor of love.
With dozens of children buzzing around Kids Korner Day Care Center in Clarion, she makes a point to interact with each of them.
"I am the director," Hennigar said. "But I am also part of the team of employees. It is important to everyone that I know every child personally and that I work with them or make at least some contact in an ongoing basis."
With 19 staff members and 25 years as a nonprofit entity, the facility is licensed for 89 children and is usually filled and has a waiting list.
The center, located in a remodeled wrestling room of the Clarion-Goldfield School Elementary/Middle School is leased from the school.
"Janet and her staff work closely with the district by coordinating school curriculum with an academically rich environment," said Superintendent Robert Olson. "It provides a seamless transition between child care and education."
Hennigar attributes the success and longevity of the day care center to employees who care about the safety and well being of the children and the families.
Open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each week day, the expanded hours help with a lot of the parents' schedules, Hennigar said.
The center provides a nursery designated for children under 2 years old. As the youngsters approach their second birthday, they transition to a larger play and learning area.
"As kids arrive at Kids Korner they have free play," said Hennigar. "Things are more structured once the school day begins. We head to the carpet area for story time and a snack. We have more structured time with music and some creative centers."
Once a month the children interact in small creative groups together regardless of age and every other month, they are grouped by age for some curriculum work.
"We work to teach the children that they are friends," said Hennigar. "We tell them often that these are your friends and if we have conflict over a toy or something, we ask them, 'now we wouldn't treat our friends like that, would we?' Our friends include everyone, kids and staff members."
After the study time, comes lunch time.
"Each child is responsible for eating together, clearing their eating place, and learning good table manners," Hennigar said. "Every part of the day is a teaching moment."
Each afternoon provides time for a nap; the 4-year-olds know that they must rest briefly and play quietly while the younger ones take a more extended rest. Also in the afternoon the children have time to play, eat a snack and greet their friends that join them from following their school day.
Each day kids go outside if the weather is nice and other events like roller skating, a walks to park or visiting the local grocery store are planned when possible. Daily swimming at the aquatic center is part of the summer day for the children. A librarian from the Clarion Library comes weekly to read the children a story and do an activity. The children also participate in weekly summer reading programs at the library.
Hennigar is proud of Kids Korner's certification as a Level 2 Iowa Quality Rating Scale.
"We are also proud to have families only pay for the time which their children are at Kids Korner," she said. "Many centers have a daily/weekly contract which must be paid whether children are present or not. We want to be available and affordable to those using our facility. We try very hard to be frugal with our resources and we do some fundraising to maintain the facility and yet keep costs for parents affordable."
Tanya Bierl, a member of the board of directors who has two children at the center, said Hennigar is always looking for ways to improve the center and make it fun for the children. "She tries different techniques of teaching basics," she said. "I am always amazed how organized the children's daily routine is. The entire staff does a great job keeping things running smoothly without complete chaos." Bierl said some days there are up to fifty kids under the age of ten all working and playing successfully together.
"We are loving to the children and always want the best for them," Hennigar said. "We strive to have mutual respect with the staff and parents. It truly is a labor of love."
Contact Karen Weld at (515) 573-2141 or editor@messengernews.net
