The definition of happy is lighthearted, cheerful and sunny. What a wonderful way to describe the new daycare in town. Happy Heart Child Care, located at 521 E. Hwy 34 (the old daycare), has new owners and a new look. “This place didn’t have just a facelift, it had a body lift,” Cherie said.

Samantha Padilla and Cherie Cedillo are the owners of the newest business in town. The sisters are just waiting for the state inspector to sign off and the doors will be open for the children of Italy. “We are excited to open,” Cherie said. All children will be carefully taken care of, “We both are trained medical assistants, CPR and first aid certified.”

With about 40-50 applications in place already, the daycare will open for registration next week from 5:00pm-8:00pm. “When we open, our hours will be 6am-6pm, Monday through Friday, and we will care for ages newborn to 13 years old in a Christian environment.” Cedillo said. “The school bus will pick up the school children and drop them off after school. We will accept CCMS (government aid) also.”

One of the future plans is to have “Date Night” two Saturdays a month. “Sometimes it’s difficult to find a babysitter on a Saturday night and we want to offer that service for the parents in town,” Cherie explained.

“We will teach a Christian curriculum for the preschoolers and will have help from some of the long time staff members from the previous daycare, including Alicia Farmer, Director, and Bobbie Adams in the nursery,” Cherie commented.

The daycare will serve balanced meals with nutrition being most important. Cherie said, “We will offer breakfast, lunch and 3 snacks everyday.”

“When parents come to register their children, we need a copy of the child’s shot record,” Cedillo explained. There will be two free weeks given annually for registering the child a year at a time.

RATES

• $120 per week-newborn, infants to 11 months
• $100 per week-toddlers
• $65 per week-before & after school care
• $100 per week-elementary summer care
• $25-$30 per week drop in fee

There are just a few minor tweaks to perform to the new daycare but the staff and the building are ready. The children will learn their ABC’s and be taken care of with lots of love and a happy heart at the same time.