This is Not Your Parents' Daycare Facility

Friday movie nights? Saturday theme parties? Organic food and drinks? Spanish, sign language and music classes? Sounds more like an exclusive kids' club than a typical daycare center.

, at 602 N. Michigan St. in Elmhurst, is different in a number of ways.

In a down economy, with families looking for ways to cut back expenses, it might seem that a daycare business would be among the first to feel the effects. But Kidz Drop In has expanded, adding 1,900 square feet of space to accommodate all of the families that had been wait-listed.

“What has made us so special is the fact that we're open so late. We don't do contracts,” owner and Elmhurst resident Kasindra Mladenoff said. “(We might have) a parent who works in a retail environment or needs to work extra hours because it's the holidays. Or, a parent (might) need to get a second job, and they can't pick up their child by 6 o'clock. We don't charge late fees; if you're here until 8 o'clock, you pay by the hour or it's scheduled.”

The facility stays open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to midnight on Friday and 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, providing parents with an option for a night out on the town or some free time to shop or run errands.

Can't Find It? Create Your Own

While some families can turn to other relatives, babysitters or nannies to watch their kids, that was not an option for Mladenoff's three children. A few years ago, she realized that finding quality daycare for her then 7-year-old son and 6-year-old twins was not going to be easy. Attending parent-teacher conferences and curriculum nights or just getting her hair done was a challenge.

“I didn't have family to watch my kids,” she said. “I was very much against having a young individual watching my kids at my home with dogs and cats. There's a safety issue, and I would much rather have my kids in an environment I knew was designed without text messaging, computers and other distractions that potentially could hurt somebody.”

So, Mladenoff and Antoinette Marrella, her business partner and family friend, opened Kidz Drop In in Elmhurst in April 2010. A Naperville location was opened last May.

Mladenoff doesn't stay behind the scenes at Kidz Drop In. Parents frequently find her filling in as a teacher and working the front desk. The business, which is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, offers full-time, part-time and hourly care for infants up to age 12. The preschool takes children as young as 2.

“We have a lot of single parents and dual working parents,” Mladenoff said. “We have a lot of stay-at-home moms who want their kids in preschool or to just socialize (with other children) for a couple days a week. We have our evening care, so if parents want to go out on a date, their child is already familiar with our center; it's an easy transition. They are in a safe, secure environment where they can be picked up as late as midnight.”

Details, Details, Details

It's little things, too, that parents say they appreciate.

Sarah Bristol-Gould of Westchester, formerly of Elmhurst, is a mother of two who works from home for a pharmaceutical company. She sends her 17-month-old son, Caden, to the full-time infant program, and sends Caden and his 5-year-old sister, Sienna, for drop-in care.

"I personally love some of the rules, such as not allowing (kids to wear) shoes past certain points at the center," she said. "It only makes sense since shoes are filthy. In daycare centers, there's going to be germs and if you can cut that down by not allowing shoes, it makes sense.”

Caden also can drink only almond milk; Kidz Drop In staff only serves organic foods and is very accommodating when it comes to dietary issues.

She also prefers having “multiple hands being able to help out” and that all the teachers have college degrees.

“I had been to other day care facilities and had interviewed at lot of people,” she said. “I feel very comfortable leaving Caden (at Kidz Drop In),” she said. “I'm quite educated myself and I like that the teachers there have solid backgrounds and degrees."

The center uses HighScope curriculum for its infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The curriculum incorporates literacy, math and science and a "plan-do-review" process that encourages initiative and self-reliance in children, Mladenoff said.

Look at How She's Grown

After just less than two years in business, Mladenoff noticed a growing clientele needing care for infants and toddlers, so she recently completed a 1,900-square-foot addition at the Elmhurst location. A ribbon-cutting will be held Friday, Dec. 16.

“We're licensed for 50 kids now, and we're anticipating upping that number to between 77 and 80 kids,” she said. “Hopefully, we can accommodate even more. The important part right now is not turning away any more families, particularly during the day, whether it's full-time or hourly care.”

And that's good news to Bristol-Gould.

“I'm very happy that the center is expanding. I'm glad more people are finding out about it," she said. "It helped us a lot to manage a work and life balance.”