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24-hour child care to open in December

Victoria Advocate - 11/30/2017

Nov. 30--The first 24-hour, yearround child care center in Victoria, Childhood Unplugged, is planned to open within the next two weeks, which will fill a strong need in the city, the owner said.

"Our need is at nighttime, our need is for weekends and our need is for holidays," said Kerri Matthews, 41, of Victoria. "There's nothing for our police department, hospitals, nursing homes and EMS. These people work at night. I want to try to help them with that. They have no where to go because day cares shut down at 6:30 p.m. at the latest."

Matthews has been an accountant during her entire career but has wanted to open a learning center for the past 10 years because of her passion for children. The next generation is consumed by technology, she said, and she wants to bring children back to their roots.

"I feel like the generation coming up behind us are lost in that. They've been swamped by social media and told what they're supposed to think and do," she said. "They need to find their voice again. My purpose is to help these kids realize that everything they do is important and everything they say is important."

The children will be taught how to garden and learn curriculum through inquiry-based projects, when the child discovers an answer to a posed question, said education director Lori Johnson.

The center will accept children up to 12 years old, and those older than 4 can partake in the after-school program. The center will also offer a pre-kindergarden class. During school hours, children 6 weeks to 4 years old will be taught curriculum based on their age. On weekends and holidays, curriculum will still be taught.

"Our goal is to get them back in touch with childhood," Johnson said. "We embrace technology, but we want them to experience learning through discovery."

The children will take community service-related field trips, such as visiting a nursing home to improve their social skills, Matthews said.

Parents can register their children full time or stop by the center when they need care because drop-ins are accepted, Johnson said.

Johnson has hired about 20 employees and will double the number as the center's enrollment grows. The employees undergo on-the-job training to receive their 24-pre-service hours and learn CPR to be state compliant.

Children staying overnight will have an 8:30 p.m. bedtime, and will be read to until they fall asleep, Johnson said.

The center has a full commercial kitchen and will serve healthy organic meals. The center will also pick up children for the after-school program and drop them off in the morning for school.

Matthews said she intends to have a security officer on the premises every night.

Matthews said she's excited for the center to open.

"Kids from an early age have always been in my heart. I've always related to them more than I would an adult," she said. "Children speak to me more not with what they say but with looking at them, their environment and how they react."

Johnson and Matthews are trying to set the gold standard for early childhood education in Victoria, Johnson said.

"We want our kids to not only be prepared but be prepared to succeed," she said. "Eighty or 90 percent of the brain is mapped by the time the kids reach the age of 5. We want to take full advantage of that and help kids learn early on."

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(c)2017 Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)

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