Lisa Podolak, owner and operator of the Kid Connexion LLC at 900 State St., said she is excited to embark on this new venture and eager to introduce families to the new child care center.
“I’ve always wanted to open up a daycare. This is what I've wanted to do and I’ve just been waiting for the perfect place and it's finally available,” said Podolak of Economy.
The site formerly housed Childhood Treasures, which abruptly closed before Christmas in December.
Podolak said she has heard that some people are a little bit shaky about coming back to the day care because of previous experiences. She stressed that she is not affiliated with the prior facility. The building was gutted and completely remodeled to fit her tastes.
"We wanted to make it fresh and clean and new," she said.
An Ambridge graduate, Podolak holds a teaching degree and is certified in K-6 instruction. She also has four children in the district.
"I wanted to keep it in the school district in which my kids go to school. I wanted to say where we live," she said.
Kids Connexion offers personal, one-on-one care and services for infants and children 6 months to 12 years old. Full-time, part-time and before- and after-school schedules are available. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Podolak said her rates include breakfast, lunch, drinks and snacks, and are affordable for families.
"My husband works full-time and I have four kids, so I can just imagine what my daycare costs would be," she said. "Everybody around here works really hard and they have to work."
Some of the trusted staff at the day care are Podolak's own family members. Staff are CPR and first aid trained, and all will be present at the open house on Saturday, which runs from noon to 4 p.m.
Podolak said she wants to show the community all of the changes and answer their questions.
"Everybody can come in, meet the staff, look around, just feel comfortable," she said.
Like Ambridge Connection on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.