Written by: Eva Resz
Kiddie Kampus, located at the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, has been a daycare option for local families since it opened in July 1991. Now, the center is set to undergo an expansion to accommodate the growing number of families seeking its services, according to Jay Cole, church administrator.
“We have a waitlist because people trust us.”
To meet the growing demand, Kiddie Kampus is planning to renovate an additional room within its facility, Cole said. The goal is to accommodate more children, especially from the daycare waitlist, which includes many families from Southern Adventist University and the surrounding community.
“We’re really happy that we’ve been making progress in the last year and a half,” Cole said.
The expansion will help ensure that more families can benefit from the daycare’s services, according to center director Mae Watson. However the center can’t accommodate everyone, and the waitlist continues to grow.
“We don’t need advertising,” Watson said. “ … We have a waitlist because people trust us.”
“We’re very thankful that God’s been blessing us here and we’d love to be able to bless more people.”
Watson has worked at the daycare since its inception, and over the years, she has seen it steadily evolve from its beginning in the church’s older Sabbath School rooms. The daycare was previously located in a room that required frequent resets to accommodate weekly Sabbath services, which was a challenge for the daycare.
According to Watson, in 2019, as part of the church’s expansion, a new facility was built specifically for Kiddie Kampus. The development included a playground, kitchen and classrooms tailored for children of different ages. The move helped alleviate space constraints and increased the daycare’s capacity.
Currently, Kiddie Kampus is serving 39 children, with a staff of four full-time employees, two part-time employees, and four substitute staff members, two of which are Southern students, according to Watson. The daycare is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cole emphasized the importance of providing affordable care for families, especially for single parents who struggle with the high costs of childcare elsewhere. According to Watson, Kiddie Kampus has a heart for single moms, viewing childcare not as a business but as a ministry that is always willing to offer support.
“We’re very thankful that God’s been blessing us here,” Cole said, “and we’d love to be able to bless more people.”
According to Watson, Kiddie Kampus has been focused on providing quality care rather than generating profit since it began. When the center opened, Watson’s supervisor stated that they don’t want to make money off of kids which is why the daycare has kept their rates so low. According to the Kiddie Kampus Parent’s Manual, full-time care starts at $85 and decreases based on the number of days the child attends.
“Our goal has never been to reach out and get every breathing child,” Watson said. “We’ve always aimed for quality care, which is why we keep our prices incredibly affordable.”
“Our aim is always to provide a safe, nurturing environment for all children, regardless of their background.”
The daycare prides itself on being inclusive, welcoming children from a wide variety of backgrounds, including those from different religious affiliations, according to Watson. Watson said many of the children who attend Kiddie Kampus come from non-Adventist families, and even those from different faiths have expressed appreciation for the center’s warm and respectful approach to worship and diversity.
“We have kept children from every major Protestant church – we’ve kept Catholic children, we’ve kept Muslims, Jewish children, and even atheists,” Watson said. “Our aim is always to provide a safe, nurturing environment for all children, regardless of their background.”
“What you will never hear at Kiddie Kampus is yelling.”
According to Carole Verrill, the church’s children’s ministries pastor, the expansion is not just about increasing capacity, it’s about continuing to pour energy into children’s ministry and maintaining the family-like atmosphere that makes Kiddie Kampus special.
“What you will never hear at Kiddie Kampus is yelling,” Verrill said. “Our staff has such an amazing way with the children…They de-escalate situations with a quieter, calmer approach that is both loving and firm.”
