THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 19, 1995 TAG: 9507180111
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
``LIONS AND tigers and bears! Oh my!''
Under the busy eyes and fingers of little children, the colorful menagerie of wild animals painted on the walls of the town's new day-care center is coming to life.
Enchanted Treasures Children's Enrichment Center-Smithfield opened Monday at 1812 S. Church St. The center will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The day-care center is accepting as many as 52 children between the ages of 16 months to 12 years, owner Brenda Galen said.
Youngsters will not always bring books or art projects home from Enchanted Treasures. But, Galen said, parents can be assured that all children - even the youngest babies - will learn at the day-care center.
``Whenever children are awake, they are learning,'' said Janice Brown, director of the Smithfield center. ``They might as well be learning things they can use in life.''
Enchanted Treasures' curriculum challenges children of all ages to develop imagination and creativity, Galen said. For example, the wildlife mural in the toddlers' classroom is far more than a class decoration.
``There is just so much kids are going to be able to learn using this mural,'' Galen said. ``They can count animal noses, learn colors, learn their animals.''
Most classes at Enchanted Treasures will be smaller than the state requires, Galen added.
Galen is president of Galen Enterprises Inc., a non-profit company she formed five years ago when she opened her first day-care center, Enchanted Treasures Children's Enrichment Center-Suffolk.
Unlike most privately owned day cares, Enchanted Treasures-Suffolk pays no rent for its location in a building owned by the federal government. In exchange for participating in the government program, 50 percent of the day care's 102 students must be military dependents.
Enchanted Treasures-Smithfield is not participating in that program and will not fall prey to the same governmental constraints, Galen said.
Ironically, Galen's decision to expand into Smithfield came after nearly a year of looking at sites in Chesapeake. She had selected a location and was ready to lease it when a family friend mentioned that a Smithfield day-care center recently had closed and that its building was for rent.
``To be honest, we never even considered moving out in this direction,'' Galen said. ``But we know Smithfield has been growing rapidly in the last few years. We feel like the town has a need for more quality day care.''
Galen remains undaunted by the fact that two day-care providers, Libby's Landing and Cookie's Corner, have closed their doors in the last six months. She is confident Enchanted Treasures Children's Enrichment Center-Smithfield will be as successful as the company's Suffolk center.
``Hopefully, we'll be a complement to existing child-care providers in Smithfield,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Brenda Galen is owner of the Smithfield day-care center, which
opened Monday at 1812 S. Church St.
WEEKLY RATES
Children between 16 months and 24 months: $85
2-year-olds: $80
3-year-olds: $75
4-year-olds: $70
5-year-olds: $70
The center also will provide before- and afterschool care for
children between the ages of 6 and 12 for $45 per week.
by CNB