Tiny Town Childcare and Enrichment Center opens location in Brunswick

BRUNSWICK — Tiny Town Childcare and Enrichment Center in Brunswick aims to create a welcoming environment for kids where they can grow up through its program. The Northern Medina County Chamber Alliance held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Brunswick's new day care center at 3824 Center Road, behind Romeo's Pizza, on Tuesday. Owner Danae Zody said Tiny Town is a Christian faith-based, family-owned and operated day care center. The business started when her mother was looking for child care for her older brother, but she was struggling to find a place she felt comfortable leaving him at. "She always wanted to open a child care program," she said. "My stepdad, when they met, he actually took out his retirement to start this child care business. It started in Mentor, which has now moved to Painesville." All of Tiny Town's programs have a small number of children, Zody said. Child care is available for children between the ages of 6 six weeks and 12 years old. "We've been operating since 2008, and we started the process in 2007," she said. "We've had kids that were literally 6 weeks old, and now they're grown, so that's been super cool to see them grow up. We want kids that come into the program to stay here and learn and grow with us since consistency is really important for kids." When kids are at the day care center, they will be involved in play-based learning and sensory activities that are focused on fun, Zody said. The curriculum for infants to preschool-aged children also teaches social and emotional skills. "We want kids running to the door," she said. "We want them to pull up in the parking lot and come running to the door and running to the classroom, excited to be here." The following will also be offered at the Brunswick center: Scholarships are available and child care vouchers will be accepted. Meals, field trips and summer camp. Transportation to and from school on a bus, starting at a later date. Drop-in care for parents to drop their children off on an as-needed basis. To sign up for child care, parents can visit tinytownec.com, visit the organization's social media or call (330) 403-7282. Zody said families can also learn more at the playdates at the center from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday and March 28, or at the center's open house from noon to 2 p.m. March 21. "It's no pressure," she said. "You get to meet the staff that we do have here currently and get an idea of how we do things, how we talk to kids, how we play with them and the kinds of activities that we'll be doing with them throughout the day." Tiny Town is also hiring at tinyurl.com/4xfsdu3u. Zody said employees need to have a high school diploma, a background check, a physical and the willingness to obtain the educational requirements needed. "The biggest qualification that we have at Tiny Town is someone who has a loving, caring heart who loves kids," she said. "I'm saying loves to play with kids, loves to be on the ground reading books with them and playing with Play-Doh." Zody says she wants Tiny Town to feel like a safe, nurturing and loving environment where families feel comfortable leaving their children. "We want this to feel like a home away from home," she said. "We know it's not easy to leave your most prized possession with strangers, so we don't want to be strangers. We want staff that stay for a long time, and we want families that stay for a long time too." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.