July 28, 2008 // Franchising.com // - (Richmond, VA) - The Rainbow Station campus for children and infants is on pace to open August 18, announced Rainbow Station CEO Gail Johnson. The opening will be a "soft opening" and will roll out in phases, starting preschoolers on August 18, and then launching the after-school program on August 25. A half-day preschool program will begin September 2.
The 4.5 acre campus with a 20,000 square foot facility is a fully licensed program providing early education programs for children up to age five, and after-school and summer recreational programs for children up to age 14.
One particularly unique feature of the Station is the "The Get Well Place," an infirmary providing parents with emergency backup care for mildly ill children. "The Get Well Place is located in an architecturally separate building on the campus and is attended full-time by a pediatric nurse," explained Johnson. "This service is great backup support for parents, and since it helps reduce employee absenteeism many companies offer it as a benefit or recommended resource to their staff." The Get Well Place is one of only approximately 300 mildly ill backup care facilities in the United States.
The new $5 million facility is located at 9829 Providence Road West, across the street from Community House Middle School, and provides the specially constructed "Village" for school-age children up to the age of 14. The Village offers children the choice of attending curriculum-driven activities in the Apothecary, Arcade, Art Gallery, Café Rainbow, Club 5, Gymnasium, Theater, Toy Shoppe and the Village Green.
Rainbow Station is an award-winning pre-school and school-age recreation franchise headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The Charlotte location will be the ninth location for the company and the first to open in North Carolina. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Parents can register onsite or request enrollment materials to be sent by calling (704) 999-9280.
This newest Rainbow Station is owned and operated by husband and wife team Michelle Mistele and Parks Hunter. Hunter is a former Navy navigator and banker, and Mistele has a background in business and sales. Both decided to invest in a Rainbow Station because they wanted to drive substantial impact in their community by providing high-caliber early childhood education. "We were really impressed with the standard of excellence of Rainbow Station's curriculum," explained Mistele. "The fact that we could bring our children to work made it the perfect career for us."
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