KinderCare has opened its latest child care center in Trader’s Point at 8750 Zionsville Rd. The facility opened June 6 and serves children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old and is led by Center Director Charmel Williams.
“I grew up in Ohio and lived in Georgia for the past 10 years. I think the pandemic brainwashed us to believe we needed to be closer to family so this is the opportunity that presented itself,” Williams said. “KinderCare’s philosophy around child development and early childhood education align with mine and made it a good fit.”
Located behind the Trader’s Point Shopping Plaza, the Trader’s Point KinderCare can accommodate 198 children. It features 14 classrooms — including four infant rooms, three toddler rooms, one 2-and-1/2 year-old rooms, two preschool (3 years old) rooms and one pre-kindergaten room (4 years old). The nontraditional building also features a courtyard and an outdoor playground.
Williams worked in a similar role for more than 19 years at Bright Horizons Child Care and has a degree in early childhood development.
“It has really helped me to look at things from a more open perspective versus your experiences parenting and helped to be open to the most current research and how children evolve and change and how their needs change over time,” she said. “It is a changing world, and as much as we may want to regulate screen time, to an extent it is required to live in society, especially when you have 1-year-olds who can navigate a smartphone or iPad.”
Some students can participate in the programming year-round.
“The school agers, K through age 12, can elect to do year-round before and after school. We take them to school and pick them up from school to provide that support to families,” Williams said. “We also have an extracurricular program, Learning Adventures, which incorporates music, phonics and cooking for children 2 and up.”
Williams wants her Trader’s Point KinderCare families to know the facility prides itself on being inclusive not just to children, but also their families.
“The goal is for children to learn and while learning they are having fun and developing social skill and being loved and nurtured, and their needs and wants are being met,” Williams said. “We have strong relationships with families and our staff is the key to children having the best experience at the center.”
Learn more about the Trader’s Point KinderCare at kindercare.com/our-centers/indianapolis/in/302023#our-programs.
