New owner to keep child care center going

Kids' Place Child Care Center will live to see another school year.

VNA Care Network & Hospice has found a buyer for the popular day care and early childhood education center, ensuring that it will remain open this September, albeit with a different name.

Lawrence-based Little Sprouts Inc. will become the new owner of Kids' Place on Aug. 31. That had been the expected closing date of the center on High Street after the VNA Care Network said it could no longer support the money-losing program, which is not the main mission of the home care and hospice organization.

In a letter to parents, VNA's CEO, Karen Green, called Little Sprouts "a well-known, experienced provider in the field of child enrichment centers," and said it is committed to enhancing the all-around development of children.

The children of Kids' Place, Green wrote, "will be able to remain in their current environment with the same teacher and friends at the school. There will be new opportunities for enrichment in music and art, as well as the strength of a developmentally enhanced curriculum."

Little Sprouts began in 1982 in the Methuen apartment of its president, Susan Leger-Ferraro, as a small local center providing early education and child care. Over time it has grown to include 10 schools, most on the North Shore.

Kids' Place will be the 11th, and will also take on the Little Sprouts name.

The organization - a six-time recipient of the U.S. Department of Education's Preschool Center of Excellence award - is known for its strong curriculum and results. Its students score highly in early literacy, oral language development, and other categories, said director of marketing Kelly Doherty.

"Students coming out of our schools are the best prepared for formal schools that they can be," she said. "The results that we're able to get for our students set us apart."

"We are excited about the opportunity, and are committed to providing an excellent experience that will benefit the current families, the staff, and the Dedham community as a whole," Leger-Ferraro said.

The news that Kids' Place will stay open brought "a huge sigh of relief" for Erica Fletcher, one of many parents who were sent scrambling last month after learning of the expected closing. Fletcher said she and her husband had found alternative arrangements for their 2 1/2-year-old son, Henry, but not for his baby sister, Alice.

Now, Henry can move up to the preschool prep program in the fall, and Alice will join the center in its infant room.

"It's a highly regarded program, and they're highly professional, and it seems like there's a really good match," said Fletcher, of Roslindale.

"Hopefully the tuition won't go up by much," Fletcher said, though she added, "There was a lot of agreement among parents that an increase in tuition to keep the program going would be acceptable because the quality is so high."

The sale announcement was actually made by VNA Care Advantage, an affiliate of the VNA Care Network. Terms were not disclosed.

Kids' Place occupies part of the former Dexter School at 1100 High St., which is owned by the Dedham schools. The district's business manager, Michael LaFrancesca, said yesterday he is working out a lease transfer with town attorneys, and that he expects Little Sprouts to sign a one-year extension for the same terms he offered to the VNA - meaning the rent will be raised by 10 percent, or $5,800. Snow removal will be bumped up by $500, to a total of $3,000.

The School Committee and Board of Selectmen need to approve the lease.

Little Sprouts says it intends to retain the Kids' Place staff, which includes about 20 people. A Little Sprouts vice president, Krysta O'Neill, and the longtime director of Kids' Place, Linda Byrne, were to meet with families and staff yesterday afternoon.

"We are hoping that all of the parents decide to continue with us," Doherty said.

A recent survey found that 76 percent of parents would return their children to Kids' Place in September if it were to keep operating, 8 percent might return, and 16 percent said they would not be coming back.

Daily News staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.