Small Hands Big Dreams: A daycare that is flexible, fun and family focused

By Patricia Nugent

Safety and security are the biggest concerns of any parent looking for childcare. But beyond that, what else are parents looking for? Brian and Jen Sprafka, owners of Small Hands Big Dreams Learning Centers in Kirtland, have made it their mission to accommodate each family’s needs while readying their children for school in this nurturing, high-quality learning environment.

Small Hands Big Dreams accepts children from ages six weeks to 12, offering full- or part-time care, a comprehensive preschool curriculum and summer camp activities.

After all, learning comes easy when you’re having fun.

“First and foremost is your child’s safety,” says Jen. “We have fingerprint technology at the door, cameras at every turn and parents can log onto our system and see their child anytime. Everything here begins and ends with family. Our relationship with your family is what makes us successful teachers for your child.”

A teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood education, Jen knows the importance of developing a team when it comes to childcare. When first meeting with a prospective family, Jen and Brian address every detail of a child’s day at Small Hands Big Dreams and work on group and individualized plans for each child.

“We meet with parents regularly and collaborate with them to meet the goals we’ve developed together for their child,” says Jen. “When we started this business in 2001, Brian and I didn’t have children. We soon had two and it became immediately apparent to us that we needed to focus on both the children and the families.”

When starting the business, Jen’s focus was education and Brian handled the business side of the venture.

“I have an MBA and always had the goal of having my own business,” says Brian. “Jen and I wanted to do something together and with Jen’s background, preschool and childcare was a natural step for us.”

Searching for the right business, Jen and Brian found Color Our Rainbow Academy in Akron, where the owner was retiring and ready to sell. Soon Jen and Brian opened centers in Mentor and Bainbridge with the new name, Small Hands Big Dreams. Two more centers followed with Kirtland the most recent.

“At the start of this journey, we saw how important it was to be flexible to the needs of the families,” says Jen. “We knew that we had to adjust to a family’s changing schedule.”

Small Hands Big Dreams understands that your routine can change, so there are no set drop-off or pick-up times. And don’t worry about packing the daycare bag.

“We provide anything and everything specific to your child,” says Brian.

“Formula, baby food, diapers, wipes, sunscreen and nutritious meals—we have them all here. And we take germs very seriously. We use the Zono ozone sanitizing cabinet, a state-of-the-art cleaning machine that sanitizes everything, including difficult-to-clean items like crayons, iPads and books.”

Another thing Jen and Brian take seriously is readying the children for school. All of the staff at Small Hands Big Dreams Learning Centers are either teachers or have a degree in a related field.

“Our hiring process is very intense,” says Jen. “We do extensive background checks and require considerable experience with children of the particular age group we are hiring for.”

Once hired, staff members go through a weeklong orientation and six weeks of training in the Small Hands Big Dreams curriculum for their particular age group. Ongoing professional development courses are also required for staff members.

The curriculum at Small Hands Big Dreams includes community involvement through visits by police and fire departments, library volunteers, zoo staff and more, along with field trips when appropriate.

“We want the children to get outside,” says Brian. “The curriculum involves learning by doing. Kids are cooking, ice skating, gardening and going on nature walks. We limit screen time use for very specific purposes.”

Jen assures that Small Hands Big Dreams teachers have the training and knowledge required to accommodate children with various developmental and physical needs like speech delays or occupational therapy challenges. Each center has a parent group the staff relies on for input.

“We are an extension of your family,” says Jen. “Our goal, like yours, is to keep your child moving forward in whatever way that means for the individual child. We rely on families to help us make this their child’s home away from home.”

Brian and Jen know they’re doing things right when kids who grew up coming here come back to volunteer their time.

“Our own children grew up here and now love to come in to help out,” says Jen. “And one young man recently asked to volunteer to teach basketball to the kids. He said this was such a happy place for him that he wanted to give back. Watching them all grow up and have a positive impact on the community is exactly why we’re here.”

Small Hands Big Dreams is located at 9823 Chillicothe Road in Kirtland. For more information and a tour of the center call 440-367-2145 or check the website SmallHandsBigDreams.com.