by Tara Walker
Ivanka Krugler will find out this Friday whether she has been approved to be a licensed family home child care provider in Kremmling. She finished her final inspection on Monday and is excited at the opportunity to serve more Kremmling families. Kremmling has 2 licensed slots for infants under 2, but that will double when Ivanka is certified.
Ivanka and her husband have lived in the county for almost 6 years. A year ago, Ivanka was living in Kremmling while commuting to Silverthorne for her work as a manager. While her original college background was in education, she was taking business classes and moving in a new direction when she had her son Maximus. She found herself searching for childcare. She didn’t know that her background in education and business would lead to new opportunities as a childcare provider.
Ivanka struggled to find licensed daycare for infants in Kremmling. Only one provider was licensed for two infants and that provider had a waitlist. Ivanka decided to find work in education and childcare so that she could better care for her son. She worked briefly with a homecare provider in Granby before finding a great fit with Little Sprouts Learning Center in Granby. “I wanted to find good reliable daycare for my precious son, my baby. I loved Little Sprouts, and you get a discount if you work there, but you still have to pay if you have a child needing care. What I was making and paying for childcare wasn’t making sense financially,” Ivanka explained. She looked at her situation in Kremmling and saw other families with similar struggles with childcare and she decided that she wanted to make a difference. “Lack of childcare can really stunt the growth of a community because people want to move here and live here, especially with the cost of living going up in Summit County and the improvements they’ve made on Highway 9. To live in Kremmling, you need to have the care for children and families. The more families that live here, the more they can give to the community and the community can grow. I wanted to offer the other families what I was looking for last year.” Ivanka and her husband purchased a house in Kremmling that would be a good fit for her small business as a childcare provider. She is currently watching a limited number of children until her license is approved. Once approved, she will be able to watch 6 children from birth to 17 years old and 2 additional before or after school children during non-school hours or school holidays. Of those six children, 2 children can be under 2. Her son is currently 17 months old and is taking one of the infant allocations. Once certified, she will have a few more openings.Ivanka has a set schedule and curriculum where her philosophy is to make sure they are having fun while learning. She loves incorporating art and music into everything they do. She is
Ivanka has a set schedule and curriculum where her philosophy is to make sure they are having fun while learning. She loves incorporating art and music into everything they do. She is infant, child and adult CPR certified and has also had FEMA emergency management training, multi-hazard planning for childcare. She is prepared to safely care for children in Kremmling.
“Being certified and having the training is more peace of mind for parents so that they know that the person that is watching their child is knowledgeable and prepared to take care of their child in an emergency. Being licensed is important when you are looking for a childcare provider. I hope more people will be inspired to become licensed providers because it only helps our community. Grand Beginnings is a great resource and if anyone is interested, they will help every step of the way.” Ivanka Krugler can be contacted by email at milesofsmilesdc225@ gmail.com or at 815-307-6385. Grand Beginnings can offer assistance at getting certified and also can connect you to resources if you are searching for childcare options, call 970-725-3391.
Ivanka Krugler can be contacted by email at milesofsmilesdc225@ gmail.com or at 815-307-6385. Grand Beginnings can offer assistance at getting certified and also can connect you to resources if you are searching for childcare options, call 970-725-3391.
