Kids Time Nursery School opens during COVID

NORTH EAST — Families looking for a diversion for their children during the coronavirus pandemic as they attempt to get back into their regular routines can look no further than Thompson Plaza in the town of North East, just outside the village of Millerton, where plaza owner Ken Thompson is now operating Kids Time Nursery School, at 208 Route 44.

Thompson has opened several businesses at the building on Route 44, from the children’s play space Kids Time to the Mexican restaurant, Avocado Cafe. He decided to open the nursery school in the middle of the global health crisis, Thompson said, because he couldn’t open Kids Time for business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding how he’s been faring as a business owner in these unprecedented times, he said, “It’s been the toughest five months of my life — we haven’t had any help financially. It’s been hard to watch Kids Time with no kids in it. We hope to survive the pandemic and come out on the other side.”

Since nursery schools and day cares were deemed essential businesses at the onset of the pandemic by the state, Thompson decided to pursue one of his long-term goals and put his Kids Time children’s equipment to good use by opening up Kids Time Nursery School. 

Though specifically geared toward operating a day care, Thompson mailed in his application for a license to operate a day care in May; until he receives his license, the space will function as a nursery school. Outlining the distinction between a nursery school and a day care, he explained that a nursery school involves watching “no more than two children for no more than three hours” while a day care involves watching “more than two children for more than three hours.”

In addition to using the space at Kids Time, Thompson is using space conveniently located next door at the new Millerton Athletic Club. (For more on the Millerton Athletic Club, look for the story in an upcoming edition of The Millerton News.) Thompson has stocked the smaller space with colorful activities and children’s books; he also installed a new self-serve ice cream machine in the Avocado Cafe for nursery school students.

“We’re trying to offer something kids can’t get anywhere else in the area,” Thompson said.

Aiding Thompson will be the nursery school’s director and instructor Adria Couse and instructor Valerie Bishop, both keen on working in Millerton. 

Kids Time Nursery School is currently operating under two three-hour shifts on Mondays through Fridays. The first shift runs from 8 to 11 a.m., and the second shift runs from 1 to 4 p.m. At a cost of $25 per shift per child, the price includes an hour of play in Kids Time and two hours of learning and play with instructors. Should families want to sign their children up for both shifts, the cost is $45.

Call 518-789-9643 for more information. At this time, Kids Time Nursery School is open to children ages 3 to 5; it will soon expand to include children 6 and 7. 

Aligning with the launch of the up-and-coming Millerton Athletic Club, Thompson plans to offer mothers a gym package in which they can bring their children to the nursery school while they work out at the gym.

Thompson assured parents anxious about sending their children off while COVID-19 is still a threat that his nursery school will follow all Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) guidelines and that social distancing will not be an issue, claiming they’ll have “the biggest nursery school in the land” with plenty of space. To that end, he said only 16 children will be allowed per shift with eight children in the Kids Time area and eight children in the smaller area attached to the Millerton Athletic Club. 

Temperatures will be taken at the door and hand sanitizer made available.

For more information, go to www.kidstimeplay.com or the “Kids Time” Facebook page.