Brackenridge couple plans to open day care in Springdale

A Brackenridge couple is working to open a day care center in Springdale.

Kaci and Ray Bollinger plan to open Bright Futures Child Care Center in August at 950 Pittsburgh St.

The couple pursued opening a day care after Kaci Bollinger noticed young children coming to school unprepared and not knowing basic information, such as the alphabet or their last names.

“Our children are our future, and we felt it was our calling to help them be successful later on in their lives,” she said.

Opening a day care never crossed their minds.

“She loves working with the kids but never thought we would go down this road, but glad we are,” Ray Bollinger said.

The couple have years of combined experience working with kids, including raising their two daughters. Both have hosted foreign exchange students over the years.

Kaci Bollinger has worked in school districts for 11 years and began working with first graders the past two years. Ray Bollinger has worked with youths ages 6 to 18 through coaching softball.

The couple found the building in June and thought it was the perfect location. They wanted to find an area in the Alle-Kiski Valley where they did not see many child care centers.

Registration is open for children 6 weeks to 12 years old, and the couple said they already had 20 kids registered so far. The capacity is 39. So many people have sent emails expressing interest in registering, Kaci Bollinger said.

“It’s wonderful to see. That was the biggest scare, was if anyone was going to sign up,” Ray Bollinger added.

The day care hopes to incorporate community support by having the neighboring dance studio offer movement and mobility classes and people with musical backgrounds to offer music classes. The couple said the day care will have later evening hours once a month to give parents a chance to have date nights.

“We know it will be so worth it in the end when we see the children come in and the parents happy. They don’t have to worry about how their children are being cared for,” Kaci Bollinger said.

An open house is slated for Aug. 13 along with a grand opening Aug 15. The dates are subject to change.

To register or for more details, call 724-448-8624 or email [email protected].