Group day-care gives kids a head start
When children walk into Kidsville Playschool at Lincoln-ville, they are greeted by instructor Kim Kroupa and her assistant, Lucille Bernhardt.
The licensed group day care facility is conducted as a preschool which is in session two mornings per week. It is located in the former American Legion building on Main Street.
The 13 children enrolled in the program are three to five years old. As a general rule, the three-year-olds attend one session per week.
The attractive classroom has various activity centers, such as a block building station; a bean table for scooping, pouring, and measuring; an art table; a library where books can be checked out; a kitchen/home area with pretend food, play dishes, and dolls; and a puzzle area.
Children sit on a circular rug for large group activities. They check the calendar and weather every session and sing songs and listen to stories.
Kroupa said Bernhardt is good with the children, and they love her.
"It's nice to have an older person around," she said. "Some children don't have grandparents and they get to relate to an older person."
Kroupa, formerly Kim Remmers, is a Centre High School graduate with degrees from Wichita State University in elementary education, early childhood education, and early childhood special education.
She was a paraprofessional for one year and taught at a special education pre-school in Hutchinson.
After she married Martin Kroupa in 1994, she taught a group of Centre pre-schoolers at Lincolnville for five years.
"I always wanted to have my own school, and there seemed to be a need for it in this area," Kroupa said.
In 2001, the Kroupas purchased the former American Legion building from Lloyd Davies of Marion, who had used the facility to launch his computer business.
It took until the fall of 2002 to finish all the paperwork and licensing details. Kidsville Playschool opened in September.
"I'm enjoying being back around kids," Kroupa said.
Her husband, Martin, is a farmer, rancher, and cattle feeder. They have two children: Clint, 7, and Kayla, 4.
