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With the news of the Delafield KinderCare closing, we know your family is scrambling. The news has sent a shockwave through our Lake Country families this week. As a childcare provider, my heart breaks for the families who just had their daily rhythm—and their children’s sense of security—turned upside down.

If you are one of the parents currently staring at a calendar, scrambling to find a new “home” for your little one by May: Take a deep breath.

It is okay to feel overwhelmed. You aren’t just losing a service; you’re losing the teachers who know your child’s favorite snack and their unique likes and dislikes. You’re losing the friends they play with every single day.

The Danger of the “Scramble”

When we are in “emergency mode,” it’s easy to settle for the first place that has an open door. But your child’s early years are too precious to “just find a spot.” You deserve to feel good about where you drop your child off. You deserve a place where you aren’t just Account #402, but a member of a family.

Why Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S is Different

At the “Kindness Hub” in Pewaukee, we do things a little differently. We built this center to be exactly what the name says—a place that feels like a loving grandparent’s home filled with warmth and fun.

Yes, we have a 6,000-square-foot facility, but our community vibe means the teachers and children still know everyone. For families transitioning from a larger corporate environment like KinderCare Delafield, the shift to our infant, toddler, and preschool programs can be a breath of fresh air:

• Heart-Led Transitions: We understand the trauma of a sudden move. We work closely with parents to ensure the “new school” jitters are replaced with security and excitement.

• Intentional Play: We don’t just “watch” children; we engage them in play-based activities built on kindness, curiosity, and community.

• Family First: We are locally owned and operated. When you have a question, you talk to GRAMMY Kim or POPPOP Matt—not a regional manager three states away.

Options after the Delafield KinderCare Closing

I know that right now, your biggest worry isn’t just finding a spot—it’s helping your child feel safe during this change. To help you navigate the next few days, I’ve put together a Childcare Transition Survival Kit.

It includes our ‘Smooth Start’ morning routine guide, the ‘They Always Come Back’ social story to read with your child, and the official WI State Quality Checklist to use while you’re interviewing new schools. I’ve put all these resources into a printable kit for you. Click here to have the Survival Kit emailed to your inbox.

Priority Tours for Delafield Families

We know time is of the essence. To help ease the burden for those affected by the Delafield closure, we are opening up Priority Meet & Greet Tour slots over the next two weeks.

We currently have very limited openings in our infant, toddler, and preschool programs. We would love to meet you, hear your story, and see if we are the right fit for your family’s next chapter.

Don’t settle for “available.” Find the place where your child will flourish.

Click Here to Book Your Priority VIP Tour

Hang in there –

Grammy Kim & PopPop Matt

I created our positive reward system, YayTags, stemming from the popular Brag Tags that are used in a lot of elementary schools. I am not a huge fan of the word brag though, so I knew that had to change.

Simple Reward System for Behavior

Children that are a part of our oldest classes of 3K and up at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s, can earn a YayTag for showing good behavior. They just love earning YayTags and we see lots of smiles.  A circular shaped badge is worn on a lanyard that is kept at school for them to collect YayTags AND a wrist badge adorns the wrist of the child so they can share their reward with their family at home!

These rewards are earned and praised with huge shout outs at the time of earning so all of the class can cheer the good behavior on. We are always looking for reasons to add additional YayTags (and remove) based on the needs of the class.

Like most things at preschool, there are some more motivated than others and different days and activities certainly brings a variety of opinions. But one thing is for sure… YayTags are loved by all.

Seasons change and there is a time for everything. It was a fun ride at my corporate job for many years, but looking back, I realized I missed a lot of important moments. Even the moments that might seem small or go unnoticed to many. That’s why I made a change and you know what? I regret nothing.

Today, as I held my 5-month old grandson in my arms as he slept, his tiny breaths like melodies in my ears, I felt such incredible warmth. with the sounds of his breath like melodies, I felt such warmth. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time in my career, I had supportive leaders that were happy to grant time for family moments. They respected the time off that I had earned and deserved.  But the more recent experience was a constant mental tug-of-war and I couldn’t feel like I was completely present to even hear those precious melodies, always with one eye on my phone in case the current “leader” reached out with some issue or question that absolutely could have waited.

Being Present

Founding and opening Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s was a path that was (and frankly, is!) scary at times. Matt and I both made a good living in the tall, glass building downtown. But money can’t buy the rewarding feeling of being present.

When some health complications arose with Grand5, I could be there without being pulled in a million different directions at work. I was truly present and it felt so good. Each and every day, the hugs that both our 8-year old grandson and 3-year old granddaughter rush to give throughout the day are worth more than the paycheck!

Reflecting back, I truly believe that everything has happened at just the right time. Yeah, I missed a lot of our daughters’ high-school moments when I traveled for work and commuted from PA to WI.  But there is a time for every season. A time to work for someone else and a time to venture out on your own.

For me, every single moment now is worth more than the corporate ladder. There is even a bigger bonus than I had imagined, being able to give our presence to littles while the season is right for them to be in our care.

We get it. We know the struggle. We believe in the power of presence, and we’re here to support you in achieving that for your family.

Be well, my friend. I love you.

Goodbye, my friends. I will remember you.

Over the last month, we’ve said goodbye to two of our friends at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s and we haven’t been open that long! One is trying an individual care option and I truly hope it will improve L’s overall well-being. The other family bought a house that is 45 minutes away. In both cases, I’ve reminded myself that it’s not about me and the gap I feel. It’s about what is best in the situations.  It’s never been easy for me to say goodbye. Although I grew up as an Air Force brat, moving frequently and saying goodbye often, it just doesn’t get any easier for me. I guess I’ve learned over time that I have to accept when it has to happen, it will be tough. I get attached to people and genuinely care. An empath they’ve termed it.

You see, I remember Darian; Emily, Ian & Jordan; Mark & Marcy;  Jada; Jonathon & Jason; Alexandra & Evan who were all a big part of my life back in the late 80’s. I often wonder where they’ve ended up and would relish a coffee-date with each one of them to catch up. But let’s be real, I know most of them would have absolutely no clue who I am.  I remember… soothing their cries, reading them stories, tickling their faces to sleep, potty training & diapers, bubbles, and the smiles… the many smiles.  We spent many days together in Kim’s Kid Kare when I stayed at home to be with Ashley and Kayla.

Ms. Kim back in the day with her crew

I love you.

I read a lot of different channels to keep abreast of the latest in the childcare industry and I’ve come across a few strings where people have stated, “I don’t get attached”  “this is my job”  “they come and go” type of statements.  That’s all I need to realize, I like me just the way I am when it comes to getting attached to the children in my care. I can’t imagine it any other way.  When I said goodbye to both children this month, I told them I loved them and I meant it wholeheartedly.

See you later, I hope!

What am I going to do when some of our current students move to school in the Fall? I am going to keep loving. I am going to keep being me.

and….

I am going to hope that our paths cross again in this small world.

Today’s Lesson about the Childcare Trilemma

Quality

Having a clean and safe environment was one of the highest rated items that families answered in our survey. This isn’t just the building or rooms, it encompasses the toys, the playground equipment, the art supplies, the materials to explore and learn, everything!

Top-Notch quality can’t be forgotten with the food that is served, pest prevention, curriculum/learning materials, books, safe disinfectants, the continuing education of the team, the list goes on. There is not one area here that can be cut back on. We aren’t talking about 24 lb. bright white paper or ignoring sale items, just keeping quality with what is needed is an investment.

Affordability

I don’t think it is a surprise to anyone that some people are expected to pay more than their mortgage payment for their child to be in care while the parent(s) are working! Go back and read that again. Come on! Even if families are able to, and I would imagine most would say they will do whatever they have to in order to provide the best for their child(ren) but should it be this way? No. If you shop around at the various early childhood learning centers, you will find that the prices don’t vary a lot in tuition pricing and it’s important to look at what is included with the costs (learning environment, food, vacation days, multi child discount, etc).

Compensation

Qualified and experienced teachers and team members should be recognized with a fair pay. In Waukesha County, the average hourly wage is $16.50, which is 5% above the national average, according to Indeed.

Kindergarten teachers average pay in the area is about $30/hour.

I thought it would be informative to see what types of jobs you can have to make around $17/hour. Here is what Google result I got:

• Crew member at Wendy’s or McDonald’s
• Delivery driver for Domino’s or Topper’s Pizza
• Oil change team member or car wash crew member at Take 5
• Sales associate at Pet Supplies Plus
• Hotel laundry attendant at Hilton Garden Inn

These are all important jobs and I am grateful for all of them, but the people that lead the care for children from 6 weeks old until the time they enter public school Kindergarten are paid less than $20/hour on average! A child’s most crucial time for brain development occurs before five years old, just let all of that sink in. It’s ridiculous, we need to make this better.

Here is the Trick

The challenge here is to figure out how to improve these three different areas with the least amount of impact to the others. There isn’t one area here that is more important – they are all dependent upon one another. You can’t just throw more money at one without taking from another. We will not bend on quality at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s, it’s just not what we are willing to do. We want our program to be the one mom groups are talking about because of our excellence in all aspects.

What we are doing

First, we are helping by opening our early learning center, Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s, in Pewaukee. When we were forming our business plan, we kept asking each other why there is such a difficulty in finding care. Why aren’t more people opening centers to help? Once we continued down our path, the question to each other became a statement, “this is why more people don’t this!” It’s been nothing less than a grueling process and full of challenges, but we have kept in mind when we see the smiling faces around us as our reward. The smiles on the children, families, and our team is the reason we have continued to overcome the roadblocks and tread on.

Continually, Matt and I have a lot of foundational beliefs that we share and we both believe in data driven decisions that are in partnership with qualitative feedback. It comes very natural to us both and we believe this is imperative to put within our business. We have already seen a very valuable lesson in how important this is and we haven’t even opened yet! We both felt that one of the items we needed to offer to give great quality was live-camera feeds to parents where they can ‘drop in’ at any time and watch what their child (and the class) was doing. Matt spent time researching and had a few demonstrations just about ready to make a decision when we got the results of a quality survey we did ranking different features of a childcare with our sphere of influence. We had no plans of this informing the decision about the live-view, but it did. The results were that live-views were ranked at the bottom of quality! There were different reasons why this was not something families wanted, but we were shocked and pivoted immediately. We will have cameras for security monitoring, but not live-views. We almost spent money where we thought was what families wanted and we would have gotten it wrong had we not listened.

Gaining the perspectives to help inform decisions of all of the customers (children, families, and team members) is vital. They should be the ones to help define what quality, affordability, and fair compensation means for Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s. Then we continually iterate based on what we hear… it’s just like software development. We hope you will join us as we help to make a difference in the early childhood education trilemma with what ideas you have.

This is similar to what Grand6 was playing on at the Milwaukee Zoo

The first time, it crossed my mind to write a post because I am convinced teaching kindness has to start from the very beginning and I wanted to share with you how I plan to implement that as one of our core values at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S.  I decided I wouldn’t share it. I didn’t want to bring any negativity to you as a reader. You see, I am an empath and I’m not sorry about it, but my heart hurts. I need to rally people together to pull blinders off and let’s encourage kindness! 

It was Nancy Grace the First Time

It sounds weird to say I like true crime stories but I like to listen to Nancy Grace’s True Crime Podcast when I’m driving on errands or in the car alone for any period of time. This past week Nancy had, Sam Teusch, a father on the show to share how he was suffering after losing his ten-year old son, Sammy, to suicide. I just had my jaw on my chest almost the whole episode. There were so many parts that left me breathless and just so dang sad. Sammy had been teased bullied about his crooked teeth and his glasses and his family believes that the pain was just too much for Sammy to bear. He was 10! He was in fourth grade!

Today, it was an incident with Grand6

It was personal hearing about Sammy as Grand6 (who does remain nameless with age for protection) got new glasses last week a day or two before I listened to the podcast. But today, I know my heart skipped a couple of beats when I got this text from Grand6’s parent:

“A kid just got it from me. Wish I knew who his parents were. [Grand6] was playing on there by h-self when these two kids wanted him to get off & he wasn’t done so instead of waiting their turn they got on there and bounced the &^%* out of it 2 vs. 1 and hurt [Grand6].”

They were at the Milwaukee Zoo having a great day and this just devastated Grand6. I was proud of the way Grand6 attempted to resolve it by “telling them no and to stop!” A SIX YEAR OLD!

Kindness is my Anti-Bullying Word

I have read the articles. I even had some studies around bullying and how to watch and prevent bullying in my early childhood education classes as I was preparing for the Director requirements. Honestly, I didn’t focus too much there. But you know when things make a huge impact on you and you just can’t move on? I am determined to advocate better for kindness and speak out against bullying. 

Staying Positive is my Game

I stay positive and usually walk around with my glass half-full. Bully is a negative word to me and it causes sadness for me. Because we are focused on early childhood education from infants-six year olds at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S, I will ensure we are speaking kind, acting kind, doing kind, showing kindness, focusing on kindness, rewarding kindness.

Will you Join Me?

I hope that you will make a difference and join me in however you feel you can stop bullying. It’s happening too much in our precious world and it needs to stop.  Adults… we need to demonstrate kindness. People are watching and you can make an impact. I won’t even start on the political campaigns going on… I have been off of Facebook for years because of that!

AdminK.