Miss A’s Childcare in Guilford opens to serve the community

GUILFORD — After years working in the field, Miss A’s Childcare owner/director Alex Barden had the opportunity to open her own facility last fall in the former Guilford Primary School building at 31 High Street. Not only did Barden accomplish a goal with the opening of Miss A’s Childcare, her business is helping meet a need for working parents/guardians.

“We opened in October and we have been doing well, we are expanding,” Barden said during a break while the children were having a midday nap.

“I can enroll from six weeks to age 12,” Barden said, mentioning currently the oldest enrolled children are 5.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
MISS A’S CHILDCARE — Owner/director Alex Barden opened Miss A’s Childcare last fall at the former Guilford Primary School building on High Street. Barden accomplished a goal by having her own childcare facility, and the business helps meet a need for working parents/guardians.

She said the former elementary school space provides a great setup for a childcare facility and plans are to expand to a second room to allow older and younger children to have separate spaces and to help accommodate more spots.

“I have done childcare since I was 16, I have not ventured far from it, and I have an early childhood education degree,” Barden said. “It’s always been a goal to open my own and it fell into place, this whole wing was vacant.”

She previously had been traveling south to the Augusta region to work. “Someone did a survey and childcare was the No. 1 need for this area,” Barden said.

“Monday to Friday we are open 6:15 to 5:15,” Barden said. “Most kids are here 10 hours while their parents work.” She said more than half the children are at the facility five days a week, while others attend part-time for a total of more than two dozen children served by five staff members including Barden.

“We have been full since January, we are expanding to take on 30 more kids,” she said.

“I like watching them learn and meet their milestones, develop their personalities and learn from each other with the social aspect,” Barden said about her favorite parts of her job.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PLAY AREA — Youngsters attending Miss A’s Childcare in Guilford have the opportunity to get out and play nearly every day, and they can run around the gym of the former Guilford Primary School in the event of inclement weather. The facility is open Monday to Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

“We definitely stay busy with fun kids stuff,” she said. Miss A’s Childcare has a fenced in play area on the grass full of toys.

“We go out there every day,” Barden said. “The older children can play on the field, they like that. We go out as long as the weather permits.”

“We do have access to the gym so they like to play in there,” she said, as the former school building had the indoor play area in place.

“I serve breakfast, lunch and snack,” Barden said. She mentioned pancakes as a breakfast item for the older children “to get them through to lunch.”

Barden mentioned recent lunch menus have included beef stroganoff and shepherd’s pie along “with your general kid food.” The youngest children will have their formula and baby food.

Miss A’s Childcare is always looking for children’s items, as Barden showed a few recently donated toys. “Anything really for any age we will take,” she said.

For more information, please see the “Miss A’s Childcare” Facebook page.