About Us
Kid's Haven located in Buffalo, MN is a family owned and operated child care center founded by Terry Peterson. Terry started in the child care business doing home daycare in 1982. In 1986 she hired Shawna Fadden to assist her in her home daycare. Shawna has been the Assistant Director at Kid’s Haven since it opened in 1991. Missy Sjolin (Terry’s daughter) started working at Kid’s Haven in 2002 and took over as the Director in 2014. Jaclyn Marek started working at Kid’s Haven in 2006 and became an Assistant Director in 2016. In 2020 Missy started the process of buying Kid’s Haven. Terry, Missy, Shawna and Jaclyn enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the people of this community and to watch the children grow up - "It is a true blessing to be such an important part of so many lives."
We care about child care. And we care about all children. Yours and ours.
We care about the children entrusted to us, and their families. Our work is both a privilege and a solemn responsibility.
We believe that all children learn through an active exploration of their environment. Having said that, we strive to provide a good environment: both literally (with the childcare facility we call home), and with challenging, educational (and fun) activities for those entrusted to our care.
Our Kid's Haven™ mission is to help children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive and enthusiastic learners by actively exploring their environment. We create an environment for children to explore the world around them by using all their senses (touching, tasting, listening, smelling, and looking).
Our daycare program identifies goals in areas including Social/Emotional, Cognitive, Physical and Language. We plan and implement activities for the children, combined with the right selection of toys and materials, all designed to accomplish the objectives of our nationally-recognized Creative Curriculum™ and to give each child a strong and successful foundation for their future education.
We believe very strongly in the importance of the family unit. We encourage parents to include their children in their normal and everyday activities, even including taking them along on a trip to a grocery store. Children need their parents! We would rather see our children here part-time during working hours and spending more quality time with their parents, when they aren’t working. We are not substitute parents but instead support the families we serve.
We do everything we can to help the child and the family. We’re in it for the long run.
What Sets Us Apart?
One of the greatest compliments we receive (and we hear it very often) is what we hear from people in nearby communities, asking, “When are you going to open a Kid’s Haven™ here?”
The need for our services was illustrated in a March 2018 Minnesota Public Radio Report, which stated that research from the Center for Rural Policy and Development shows a massive child care shortfall throughout the state, that a large number of children need care, and can't get it. Throughout our state, and elsewhere in the U.S., there is a demonstrated need for the services we provide.
Our staff of 71 people serve the needs of approximately 350 students on a daily basis, and we have over 725 who are enrolled and take advantage of our services overall.
Also, Kid’s Haven is 4 star rated through the Parent Aware program through the State of MN. A 4-star rating is the highest mark a child care facility can receive.
Our name has spread far and wide throughout the region; and, in addition to the reputation we enjoy for excellence and the care we provide for our children, there is another important differentiator. We structure our fees so that we charge only when children are there. We understand that not all families have the same needs. For some families, child care and preschool may only be needed one, or two, days a week, and/or not every week. A family can choose a weekly or daily rate if they wish; but, we do not require it. We accommodate our families’ needs.
We also do not “give up” on children. Some preschool and child care facilities have very strict rules and are quick to give up on children who do not conform to their standards. We put our “all” into working with the children entrusted to our care. We work closely with mental, social and emotional experts to help our families get the help they need.
We believe that our flexibility regarding our fee structures, coupled with our unwavering commitment to the children and families we serve, are key differentiators in an industry which is increasingly in demand by parents.
These principles serve our community well and will help our franchisees establish themselves as exemplary leaders.
What We Are Looking For?
We have been asked many times, “When will you open a Kid’s Haven™ in our town?”
This is in part what has led us to our decision to franchise. We know that what we have here can work in other parts of our state, and beyond.
We can teach what we have learned, based on more than 25 years’ industry experience, to the right people.
If you are interested in a child care and preschool opportunity, we may have what you are looking for. Our franchisees should begin as Directors of the business – we are not seeking absentee investors or owners to join our team. We want people who love children, and believe in the importance of providing quality care and education. In short, we want someone who “buys in” to what we offer. And our own founder, Terry Peterson, was a Director of the business for more than 20 years.
We envision territories encompassing approximately 10 miles, and a population center of at least 10,000 people. We of course would require that the location be in a professional setting. We will assist the ideal franchisees with licensing requirements, and we believe that a school should aim to have a minimum child enrollment of 180, and a childcare facility of at least 10,000 square feet. As part of what we offer to franchisees, we will help with the design of the facility.
We will also provide our franchisees some of the “tricks of the trade,” meaning that we have developed summer and after-school programs which can enhance the business model. There’s more to preschool than “the three Rs.” First, our infant program focuses on each infant’s needs and schedule; we are, additionally, state-recognized as breast-feeding friendly. We have a second-to-none toddler curriculum which focuses on social and communicating skills, and of course, mastery of potty training. For our preschoolers, we have expanded the school’s horizons to include computer and music classes. For our school age and summer programs, we offer drama, computers, gardening, music, art, science and math, health, fun and fitness, and even foreign language. People rave about our curriculum!
We mentioned before what a great compliment it is to us to continually be asked, “When will you open in our community?” Another great compliment to us is the number of school teachers’ children that we serve. We are also very pleased at how often we have been complimented by the school district on how incredibly “ready” our kids are when they enter kindergarten.
We find our work very rewarding; and we think you will too. We have a great story to tell and a great opportunity to share. If what we are saying appeals to you and you could see yourself as a Kid’s Haven™ franchisee, let’s talk.