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Shirley Coleman and Caroline King
It’s About the Children
Shirley Coleman and Caroline King recently celebrated their first-year anniversary as co-owners of Nickels and Dimes Day Care Center, located at 2618 Bethel Ave. Both women had previously worked in a Head Start program — King for 25 years, and Coleman for 15. They were frustrated by bureaucratic requirements that left little time for teaching children what they needed to know in order to be ready for kindergarten. “It was no longer about the children,” Kings says.
After many lengthy discussions about how they might do it differently, King said, “We can do this, and I already have a name for it!” Their aim was to provide high-quality child care for those who don’t fit government criteria for funding. The cost for their service would be determined on a sliding scale, according to the family’s household income. The name suited their purposes and Nickels and Dimes was born.
R/Ros Community Development Corporation offered them space in their building that had been unoccupied for 15 years, and they began the 18-month process of refurbishing the space for their purpose. R/Ros “housed” them until they opened for business on Jan. 16, 2006 and were able to pay rent, but they did the work at their own expense. “It’s still coming out of our pockets,” says Coleman, “but it’s going to get better.”
Nickels and Dimes currently serves about 32 children, but has the capacity to care for up to 68. They’re open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but their goal is to be open until midnight to accommodate parents’ different working schedules. They serve breakfast and lunch, plus morning and afternoon snacks, featuring real food, balanced meals and in-house preparation.
Realizing that they knew very little about running a business, King and Coleman signed up to take the Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana’s Business Beginnings course. They learned about writing a business plan, bankers and the “30-second sound bite” to describe what made their business unique. They’re currently working with BOI toward getting a microloan to help with operating expenses.
The center uses the Carolina Development Curriculum, which addresses the needs of the “whole child,” teaching reasoning, expressive language, motor skills and social skills. They also provide computer training for 3- to 5-year-olds and library bookmobile visits once a week, plus regular outings to the park, museums and swimming in the summer. Family involvement is encouraged and facilitated by planning events for times when working parents are able to attend. Attendance was “Standing Room Only” for the children’s Christmas program.
“It’s a joy to hear from parents what a good job we’re doing with their children,” says King. “It wasn’t easy, but it was a journey worth taking.” Coleman and King have a vision of operating at full capacity, with a waiting list. Until that time, they have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that at Nickels and Dimes, it is about the children.
Photo courtesy of Women’s Fund of Central Indiana and Indianapolis Monthly