Odessa has a daycare once again

Kaylene James has opened a daycare business in her home in Odessa. Kinder Haus Family Home Child Care is fully licensed by the state and, in addition to private pay, can accept child-care allowances provided by the Department of Social and Health Services. Since this is her first year in business, she is currently licensed for six children, but at the end of the first year, she will be allowed to expand and hire more adult helpers to meet the required adult-to-child ratio.

James has also opted to provide a food program overseen by the state. There are strict rules to follow for meals to provide children with the necessary nutrients from the different food groups. There are also stringent rules regarding safety that must be followed. James regularly leads her charges through fire drills and other safety-related activities.

The business currently has three slots open for the summer months. Her goal is to be at full capacity, and she strives to provide a reliable source of safety for the children in her care. Another goal is to provide more educational content to the days' activities. She will be starting up a government program called "Early Achievers" to accomplish this goal.

One of the children under her care is also her own child, Merrick James, who is eight months old. Kaylene and her husband Brian James have purchased the former home of Duane and Jonni Pitts which is located across the street from the school, a very convenient location for the business. Kaylene James also has an older son, Evan Gonzales, who will soon celebrate his 15th birthday. He attends Odessa High School.

Kaylene was born in California and moved to Odessa with her parents, Becky and Skip Regli, when she was in the third grade. Her grandparents are Lova and the late Eugene Lobe. She graduated from Odessa High in 2004, then spent the next 10 years living in Moses Lake and Soap Lake, pursuing higher education and then working at several different jobs. She was awarded a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2009.

After the birth of her second son, she did not want to spend so much time working away from home. She was also aware that Odessa needed a daycare center, so the need was recognized and fit right in with her own plans. Now that the groundwork has been laid for her business, she also hopes to become more involved in community activities. She would also like to see a reactivation of the summer recreation programs she grew up with in Odessa.

Odessa is fortunate to have a young, ambitious person return to her roots and establish a business here.