How To Find a Center
Choosing a preschool is one of the most important, most heart wrenching decisions a family makes. At KidWorks , we know parents aren’t just choosing childcare — they’re choosing the people who they’ll entrust to protect, nurture, socialize and prepare their child for Kindergarten and beyond.
KidWorks was founded on a simple belief: children thrive when they are known, respected, and supported as individuals. From the beginning, our school was built around relationships, consistency, an open door policy, transparency and high expectations paired with warmth and care.
Why Families Feel the Difference at KidWorks
Families often tell us they can feel the difference as soon as they walk through our doors. That feeling comes from:
Teachers who truly know each child
A calm, structured learning environment
Leadership that is present, intentional, and child-focused
We don’t follow trends — we focus on what works for children.
Preparing Children for More Than Kindergarten
At KidWorks, our goal goes beyond academic readiness. We help children develop:
Confidence
Independence
Curiosity
A love of learning
These skills carry them far beyond preschool and into life.
Choosing The Right Center For Your Family and Your Child
KidWorks isn’t the only center in Gainesville where you can find high-quality care. Often, if we can’t meet your needs, we can point you towards other reputable centers that can. But truly bad centers do exist, and they undermine parent trust in all of us. Parents who discover, often too late, that their child’s center is sub-par, or outright dangerous, are surprised to learn the center has been the subject of multiple complaints and investigations, some very serious, and yet they remain open (some after a strategic name change).
It’s important to realize that you cannot rely solely on the fact a center is still licensed and operating for reassurance. This is especially true for first time parents, or families relocating to Gainesville.
Do a DCF Provider Search (Enter the center’s name, then click the center’s name to view their inspection reports. A red dot beside a date indicates a technical violation within that report).
Note that the vast majority of violations in a DCF report are related to record keeping. Most centers, including KidWorks, will have occasional violations. However, if you see multiple violations for the same problems, or if more often than not a center is getting nicked, that may indicate more than just a record keeping issue. A center with repeated administrative violations is often one where financial pressures have forced them to go with out any administrative support staff, so the owners can maintain their income level and what’s left can go to revenue producing staff. A center in this predicament will be cutting corners everywhere… staff pay rates, building maintenance, food expense, insurance… and these cuts cannot help but affect the quality of care.
Avoid a center with a recent history of any serious violations that could potentially endanger a child. Also avoid a center with repeated background check and screening violations.
Tour a center and trust your gut. Ask questions. A good center has no problem spending as much time as necessary to address your concerns. If you get home and have more questions, call back. If you need to tour a second time, do so. If your mother-in-law who knows so much more about child-rearing than you possibly could wants to come along… sorry, but we have to draw the line somewhere. You’ll thank us later.