The goal of the program is to give families more time with their offspring (and to keep them as clients) by letting them take care of essential errands right on the spot when they pick up their kids. “It’s value added for their child-care dollar,” says Dee Ann Besch, director of the Cottage Grove center just south of St. Paul. Last June, Kinder-Care conducted parent-focus groups and tried to respond to their requests. The program planners drew the line at a dog-feeding service but do offer dry-cleaning pickup and delivery and the sale of stamps and frozen entrees, as well as a same-day cake-ordering service. In Cottage Grove, parents can borrow kid videos from a library of 20 tapes.
All the new services are free except stamps, which go for the usual rate, and haircuts, which cost $8.95. Parents don’t need to be on hand for the trims but can leave explicit instructions. For moms and dads with separation anxiety, three beepers are available for sign-out each day at the Cottage Grove center. Frazzled parents can stock up on frozen pizza, casseroles, soups or Chinese entrees–complete with egg rolls–by ordering from a catalog at the center and picking up the items later from a delivery truck.
Of course, there are nights when freeze cuisine just won’t do. To allow parents to spend a little quality time with each other, Kinder-Care stays open until 10:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. And one night every week, it stays open two hours past its normal 6:30 p.m. closing time. If taking precious moments away from little Matthew or Amanda triggers a guilt trip, parents can always take advantage of yet another new extra: a toy-ordering service.
