A new option for childcare opens

There’s a new option for childcare in Avon Lake as community members and Mayor Greg Zilka gathered Aug. 20 to celebrate the grand opening of Sweet Kiddles.

Sweet Kiddles, which markets itself as a flexible childcare facility, acquired the former Pembroke Kids Child Development Center, 32900 Pin Oak Parkway.

According to a release on the opening, all of the Pembroke staff have stayed on and will maintain the former facility’s programming.

Andrea Kimmel, owner of Sweet Kiddles,

was on hand for the opening and described the genesis of the business.

“I designed every element of Sweet Kiddles six years ago when I was building the idea out into a business,” she said. “I designed it to basically fix, in my mind, everything I wish I had found both in childcare as well as preschool and pre-k. So we do a lot of things differently.”

Kimmel said the main difference between Sweet Kiddles and their competitors is their flexibility.

“We’re super flexible,” she said. “We’re kind of two schools in one. We’re childcare for children six weeks all the way to 12-years-old, but we’re also a preschool, pre-k and kindergarten. So we’re a full solution for an entire family.”

She said children can come for however long their parents want with a minimum of two hours. She said they charge by the hour and also by the day; and if parents don’t use the facility a certain day they do not pay.

“(That’s) one of the things about childcare that really bothered me was to have to pay for a week if I was going on vacation,” she said.

Zilka, who cut the ribbon on the new facility, was wandering around checking out the different classrooms.

“This replaces an institution that had been here for about nine years,” he said.

While gesturing to a cabinet in one of the rooms with the names of students neatly written, Zilka remarked that it appears the facility is already being utilized by the community.

He said there’s always a need for childcare in the city.

“This is a great location,” he said. “If you’re on your way out to somewhere on I-90, stopping here and dropping kids off is (easy).”

KEITH REYNOLDS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Avon Lake Mayor Greg Zilka cuts the ribbon Aug. 20 at the opening of the new Sweet Kiddles childcare center at 32900 Pin Oak Parkway. The new company will be taking over for the Pembroke Child Development Center that used to be housed in the facility.

KEITH REYNOLDS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Children were welcome to check out the facilities Aug. 20 at the opening of the new Sweet Kiddles childcare center at 32900 Pin Oak Parkway.