READY TO LEARN
New childcare center opens in Spa City
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A new local childcare center, which opened last month in the Spa City, is busy welcoming little ones into the Creative Sprouts community.
Established this fall by founders and owners Morgen Casterline and Kayla Cowell, Creative Sprouts Childcare Center is located at The Springs, a mixed-use residential and commercial development off of Weibel Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
Creative Sprouts was designed and developed to recognize each child as an individual and alter learning for their specific needs. The center’s teachers are trained to identify differences, special needs, and learning preferences that allow each child to be as successful as they can be.
“Each child learns differently and is unique,” Cowell said, noting that the center is accepting of this individualism.
At nearly 5,000-square-foot, Creative Sprouts is designed and licensed to hold about 70 children ages six weeks to five years between two infant classrooms, two toddler classrooms, a pre-school room, and a pre-kindergarten classroom. Each classroom features floor-to-ceiling windows and a large layout, providing room for lots of movement. There is also a gross motor space separate from the classrooms, which includes large motor manipulatives for utilization. A sensory room is in the works too. Additionally, an outside play area is located a short distance away, and teachers are trained on how to safely walk their classrooms down to the playground using a walking rope.
An upcoming goal for Creative Sprouts, according to Casterline and Cowell, is to incorporate a variety of enrichment activities that provide opportunities for children to learn through interactive experiences such as music, movement, yoga, storytelling, physical education, and the arts. These enrichment activities will not only be developed by the center’s teachers but other teachers and educators within the community as well. Casterline and Cowell met in 2019 while working together as administrators at a different childcare center. After realizing that they shared the same dream of someday opening their own center, and finding that their visions aligned, the women decided to pursue this endeavor together.
In creating the center, “We really wanted it to be a home away from home for the children,” Casterline said. “We wanted a place where each child can express themselves.”
One of their major focuses is supporting their growing team of teachers to help them develop as professionals, along with helping the children to learn and grow.
Since enrollment started in September and operations began in October, Creative Sprouts has seen a great demand for its services. While enrollment is still ongoing for preschool and pre-kindergarten, the facility currently has a waitlist for its other classrooms.
Looking ahead, the owners would like to eventually open a second Creative Sprouts location in a different area.
Creative Sprouts is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More information about Creative Sprouts Childcare Center is available online at creativesproutschildcare.org, as well as on social media at facebook.com/ CreativeSprouts and @creativesproutschildcare on Instagram. The center can be contacted by calling (518) 886-9542 or emailing creativesproutschildcare@gmail.com.