Family Fun Spots Magazine, Fall/Winter 2007-2008

If you’re a parent, this has happened to you. You need to go out, but your reliable babysitter isn’t available. You start calling your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors--anyone you can think of to watch your child for a few hours. You either end up canceling your plans or taking your child with you.

It happened to Julie Lewis enough times that she decided to do something about it.

“When I moved to Memphis from Nashville, I found myself in need of short-term child care for my son Isaiah” said Lewis. “I don’t have family here and when I began house hunting, I quickly found there weren’t many babysitters available in the morning on a school day. I couldn’t very well take Isaiah with me on the trips so I had to re-schedule for Saturdays. I had no help caring for Isaiah while I was house hunting so he ended up riding around with me and my realtor.”

The business woman turned stay-at-home mom decided to start a different kind of childcare service in Memphis. It’s called Kid Station Drop-In and Play Center and is set to open in late October. Parents may be calling this a dream come true.

“The concept came to mind as my sister-in-law described such a service in Peoria, Illinois,” explained Lewis. “I couldn't let go of the idea that if I needed such a place, so did other moms! With my business background, I set to work planning, budgeting and researching. Kid Station has been in development for the past 18 months and I can't wait to see it open!”

Kid Station, located in East Memphis in the Erin Way Shopping Center will be the first and only fully licensed drop-in childcare facility in the Memphis/Shelby County area. There is no contract to sign and no long-term commitment to make. You get to choose the days and times you want. The facility is open 6 days a week and costs $7 dollars an hour for the first child. There are discounts for siblings.

“It’s the perfect solution for all short-term child care needs,” Lewis said. “We make it easy on parents! We are available when they need us, not when we decide to be open. Plus we won't cancel on you unlike babysitters. Our services are always available.”

You can rest assure the workers at Kid Station aren’t just babysitters. They’re trained in child CPR and first aid. They’ve also met all Department of Justice safety standards. Plus they know how to play!

“We will work hard to ensure that every child's experience at Kid Station is one of fun, growth and safe socialization,” explained Lewis. “Each item from the smallest toys to the largest locomotion play structure has been carefully selected by our staff. Once the children have experienced Kid Station for the first time, we hope they'll want to come back for scheduled activities such as Kindermusik, art classes, yoga, theatre events and more.”

For Lewis, this has been a true labor of love that combines her two passions.

“I'm thrilled to be able to fuse two very important elements of my own life into one--career and children,” Lewis said. “I want to be able to provide a much-needed quality service to the community. I'm also excited to see others, directors and caregivers alike, use their gifts and talents to flourish at Kid Station.”

Kid Station is located at 579 Erin Drive. The hours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-midnight Friday and 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday. For more information check out http://www.kidstationonline.com or call 761-PLAY (7529).