From the looks of things, enrollment at a soon-to-be-opened child care center on Weston Street should fill up by the end of the week.
As of yesterday, 35 families had already enrolled their children in The Learning Zone-Waltham, a center that cares for children from ages one month to 6 years.
With a location minutes from Rte. 128 and a Web-cam system that allows parents to monitor their children over the Internet, owner Melissa Ananias said she thinks Waltham is a perfect fit for her newest venture.
"Kids are going to need child care. Most families want to work or have to work," she said. "If families find a place that's safe, loving and fun, their kids are going to be happy."
To help ease parents' nerves and help her monitor her child care centers, Ananias installed Web-cam system in all the facilities provided by www.kindercam.com. Parents are provided a security code and access to a Web site in which they can monitor their children throughout the day.
Ananias, a Needham resident, fell into the child care business close to 15 years ago. Ananias said she was a nanny at the time and had just graduated from Boston University with a degree in elementary education.
"I was just trying to figure out what I was going to do. I was 24. I went to a building in downtown Boston (which was being built into apartments) and I offered to open a child care center in the building so when they filled it, they could offer a different amenity along with the place," she said. "The owner took a risk. I didn't even own a computer. I got a book that was like a 'writing business plans for dummies' and gave it to him."
After opening her first location in what became Fort Point Place in Boston, she expanded the centers, opening locations in Watertown, Weston and Belmont. The Waltham center is expected to open in April with a capacity of 95 children.
In Waltham, The Learning Zone's 6,000-square-feet location is being divided into eight classrooms, some for infants, others for toddlers and an indoor play area, an office and a staff room. A portion of the curriculum, developed by HighReach Learning in California, is tailored toward very early learners.
"It starts off very basic. The children will have a color and a shape to focus on and maybe an animal," she said. "All their projects that month are based on these concepts. For every level at the school it grows."
Some of The Learning Zone's classes include "My First Yoga," "Tumble Bus" and "The Music Man," in which a musician teaches children about music once a week.
Ananias said she will have 23 employees working at the facility and has already hired half the staff, most of whom reside in Waltham. She said many are former teachers or are licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care.
Originally from Niskayuna, N.Y., Ananias now lives in Needham with her 3- year-old daughter Gabriella and her 4-year-old daughter Emma.
"Since I have children I see this place through a mom's eyes," she said. "(The Learning Zones) have grown and become more successful because now I'm a mother and I'm tuned in. I want them to be much more successful."
To meet families' full range of needs, the facility will also offer what they call "occasional care." Occasional care is designed to help parents whose child care needs are more random, such as freelancers, job hunters, and stay-at-home parents. Parents can schedule to have their children dropped off and cared for on short notice. Ananias said certain medical information is required to be eligible for the service.
The Learning Zone-Waltham, at 295 Weston St., is scheduled to open during the first week of April.
This week, Ananias is hosting two open houses on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com
