DATE: Friday, July 4, 1997                  TAG: 9707020222

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 16   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   71 lines

DAY-CARE CENTER CLOSES, HAPPY MEMORIES REMAIN

Kathy Simmons can't bear to drive by the familiar white, one-story building on Providence Road that was home to her daughter, Sarah, for nearly three years.

She and dozens of other parents are mourning the loss of the privately run Robbins Day Care, which closed its doors forever on June 13. Simmons, a patient account representative with Ghent Family Practice, was hoping it was just a bad joke when owners Haroldine and Walter Robbins told the parents they were closing.

``The personal contact is just not there at other places,'' said Simmons, who has visited several other day-care centers this month. ``There isn't any other place that compares. It was like our family''.

Closing because they want to enjoy their retirement years, the Robbins didn't realize how devastated the parents would be when they announced their decision in May. The first three days, said Haroldine Robbins, she wanted to hide.

``The moms cried and cried and begged me to stay open,'' she said. She's 68, Walter is 69 and they have three children and one granddaughter. ``After the third day they settled down and offered us incentives. It was so sweet and touching. But we want to sell the whole thing. We'd like someone to keep it the way it is.''

The Robbinses obviously knew what they were doing when they opened on May 20, 1985 with 17 children. Within six weeks the center was filled to its capacity of 61 children and the Robbinses started a waiting list.

They hired caregivers who tended to stay for years rather than weeks. They erected an outdoor playground nestled among grass and trees that boasted three wooden swing sets, slides, jungle gyms, sandboxes, playhouses, wagons and every toy imaginable.

They always tried to keep their rates low. ``Money has never been my big thing, plus we own the property,'' said Haroldine Robbins, a Mrs. Claus lookalike. ``I don't believe in taking all the money that these moms make. I think that's a crime to charge those kinds of rates.''

The Robbinses got into the day-care business through fate or destiny or whatever you want to call it. Walter had a garden shop in the building before it closed down. One day Haroldine was riding by and was struck by the thought that she could have a day-care center there. She had worked as a caregiver at Elizabeth River Baptist Church for eight years previously.

``I believe that God has a plan for everyone's life and this was his plan for me,'' she said. ``I've never been sick of this job. I love these children everyday.''

The best part of Robbins Day Care, she said, was that it was like going to grandma's house. Kids played dress up, ate cookies, played outside and listened to stories.

``I've had parents call and ask if we teach foreign languages and how many computers do we have,'' she said, shaking her head. ``I'm not like that. Over the years I've discovered what helps a child grow and be well-balanced emotionally. That type of nurturing is the most important thing.''

The parents weren't the only people upset by the decision to close the center. Staff workers were floored as well. Shirley Johnson had been with Robbins since it opened, taking care of infants.

``I cried a long time when I heard,'' said Johnson, a Chesapeake resident and mother of five. ``I've stayed here because of the kids and Mrs. Robbins. She's a wonderful boss.''

But do the Robbinses have any regrets? It's not easy running a day-care center with all of the rules, regulations and licensing requirements these days, they were reminded. The Robbinses looked at each other and laughed.

``If we had known then what we know now, we wouldn've built a bigger place,'' said Walter Robbins. ``We just love children.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER

Haroldine and Walter Robbins are surrounded by children and staff at

Robbins Day Care, which closed recently.

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