A new nature-based child care facility has opened in Petersburg. Located on 25 acres of woods and rolling prairie, owner Heather Brooks-Yuceta said she was inspired to open Prelude Kids Center, 417 Centre Drive, after she and her husband spent several years living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria.
“Our then-18-month-old daughter was in a preschool that was up in the mountains and they took them out into the woods everyday, no matter how much snow was on the ground. We’d send her with warm winter gear and it clearly benefited her so much. She napped incredibly well and just loved all the outside time," Brooks-Yuceta said. "I wanted to be able to provide that same kind of experience here.
“We’re in a farming community here in Petersburg, and a lot of parents around here don’t want their kids inside on a screen all day;they want them outside playing in the mud,” she said. "Even for the little ones, that outside time is really beneficial.”
“My mother plays piano at our church, and that’s where I got the idea for the name," she said. "The prelude serves as a musical opening to the church, and I like to think of what we do here as the introduction to a child’s educational career.’
Prelude Kids Center is located in a newly constructed 7,200-square-foot Morton Building that was custom-built by SF Pauli Builders out of East Peoria. In addition to age-specific classrooms, the facility includes office space, laundry facilities and a large dining area with a gleaming state of the art kitchen.
“We offer breakfast, lunch and a snack, and we found an awesome cook who makes meals from scratch and is focused on providing lots of fruits and veggies to the kids,” Brooks-Yuceta said. She also has plans to install a garden at Prelude and a playground is currently under construction.
The center opened last month with three out of five classrooms in use and 15 staff, with plans to add additional staff as those two classrooms fill up. Prelude Kids Center is licensed by DCFS to provide childcare to up to 93 children aged six to 12 years old.
“All of the classrooms are over-built,” said Brooks Yucetas. “We maxed out based on the DCFS numbers rather than based on just square footage.”
Preludes Kids Center is currently accepting new families.
