Guests giggle with delight at new Sandpoint daycare
Giggling Guests owner Debi Hammel has modified several rooms in the old Sunshine Center to serve as class rooms and play areas for different age groups. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)
SANDPOINT — Individuals looking for the heart of Debi Hammel daycare business need only look at the name.
Her Giggling Guest childcare service relies on building an experience that kids pine for after the parents pick them up. And she must have done something right, because her soon-to-be-opened Sandpoint branch will be the business’ fourth location.
“My main goal is to create an environment where kids can grow, learn and feel loved, while working with parents to make them successful adults,” she said.
Hammel pursues that goal by placing equal emphasis on fun and education in her daycare centers. Facilities open at 6 a.m. when teachers and care providers prepare to greet incoming families and children. The welcoming phase of the day lasts until 9 a.m. when the kids start in on their curriculums. Lunch and a nap time roll around at noon, and afterwards, kids get the chance to choose their own activities. Kids are also allowed outdoor activities throughout the day to ensure plenty of fresh air.
“We’re focused on fostering an academically and emotionally satisfying experience for our kids,” Hammel said. “Parents usually find that this is a very nurturing, very caring environment to place their kids in.”
Giggling Guest Daycare accepts kids from four weeks to 12 years old for full-time, part-time or drop-in care. After being dropped off, kids are placed in with a similar age group to allow for appropriate curriculum levels, toys and activities. The business works with participants in the Idaho Child Care Program and follows the USDA food program.
But despite the proven business practices, Hammel was initially reluctant to open a branch of Giggling Guests in Sandpoint.
“I hesitated at first, but then I learned that Sandpoint has a huge need for quality childcare and a great community,” she said. “Then I got to talking with people about the Sunshine Center facility that wasn’t being used and began considering expanding again.”
Hammel decided to take the plunge and rent the Sunshine Center, a daycare facility that previous daycare operators abandoned in 2009. Located at 613 Ridley Village Road, Giggling Guests shares the building with a church that uses the center on Sunday.
“We don’t need the building on Sunday, so the arrangement works out nicely,” Hammel said.
To introduce Giggling Guests to the community, Hammel is hosting an open house event on Monday, Jan. 17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Interested parents will have the opportunity to check out the facility and learn more about the service’s details.
Hammel said she’s come a long way from the first Giggling Guests center, opened 10 years ago in Cheney, Wash. Sandpoint will be the smallest community to get a Giggling Guests branch, but that fact offers its own advantages.
“Small towns allow for close relationships that you might not get in a city,” she said. “I love that close-knit feeling in a small town and already feel like the community is welcoming and supporting me.”