Kid City USA closes 1 center, while 2 others maneuver to remain open

Tim Harty, The Business Times

Childcare provider Kid City USA began October with three Grand Junction locations, but it may end November with none.

Kid City USA closed its childcare center at 2880 Elm Ave., and its association with childcare centers at 493 28 1/4 Road and 3170 D 1/2 Road is ending, but both remain open while ownership and franchise changes are in the works.

Coreen Edwards, who sold her childcare center at 493 28 1/4 Road to Kid City USA in July, then remained there as an employee, spoke about what is happening at that location. Plus, she knows details about the 2880 Elm Ave. location.

Meanwhile, Stormy Killpack spoke about the 3170 D 1/2 Road childcare center, which is owned by her corporation, 3170 D Grand Junction CO Inc. Her center is a franchisee of Kid City USA.

The Business Times tried to call Kid City USA CEO Audrey Bruner for comment and left a voicemail with the Kid City USA corporate office. No reply was received before The Business Times’ print deadline.

2880 Elm Avenue

Kid City USA closed its childcare center at 2880 Elm Ave. on Oct. 16, according to Edwards.

A note on the door from Ben Veltien of building owner Par 4 Properties LLC, dated Oct. 31 and addressed to Kid City USA CEO Andrey Bruner and CFO Tracey Watson, detailed nonpayment of $12,075 that was due Oct. 5.

The posted note also included the following declaration: “Please note that if I have to commence legal proceedings in order to secure repayment of the debt owing, this letter will be tendered in court as evidence of your failure to attempt to resolve this matter.”

Edwards said the childcare center’s director left, and Kid City USA asked Edwards on a Thursday to “go over and let all the teachers go, and tell the parents they have no daycare as of Monday.”

Edwards said the Elm Avenue childcare center “only had 40 kids in the building, and they had more employees than me.” Edwards said she has 18 employees at the 28 1/4 Road location.

493 28 1/4 Road

Edwards said Kid City USA did not announce it was going to close the childcare center at 493 28 1/4 Road, but it gave the business back to her after she inquired about its future, and she has kept the business open.

Edwards owned and operated Wishes and Dreams Learning Center at 493 28 1/4 Road for 22 years before she sold the daycare to Kid City USA in July. She had owned the building, but sold it earlier this year to a different entity, ECHO Real Estate Group CO7 LLC, which is not associated with Kid City USA.

Edwards said she is getting relicensed and attempting to restructure ownership, so the childcare center will be employee-owned. She plans to name the childcare center Busy Bees Learning Center and continue to serve the existing 112 children currently enrolled at the center.

Aware of the closure at 2880 Elm Ave. and “several on the Front Range,” Edwards said, “I just started getting panicky, so I called them and said, ‘You know, I owned my center 22 years, be honest with me, what’s going to happen?’ And she said, ‘Just take your center back.’”

Edwards said retaking ownership of the childcare center is not as simple as “just take your center back,” but she realized she needed to start work on ownership immediately, and that’s where the idea of making it employee-owned emerged.

Edwards said Kid City USA made payroll to the employees at the 28 1/4 Road location for October, but it won’t for November, so she has created a GoFundMe page online in hopes of raising $50,000 to cover the payroll and a few other expenses while she gets the ownership restructured for Busy Bees Learning Center.

Edwards said she will keep all of the employees.

“There are people here who worked for me for 10 years, 15 years, 19 years,” she said.

Edwards added social media has been abuzz about what is happening with Kid City USA in Grand Junction, and people have “really reached out and supported” her through the process of trying to get the 28 1/4 Road childcare center owner-operated.

3170 D 1/2 Road

Killpack first and foremost wanted to make it clear to the community that her childcare center serves: “You can bring your kids here. We’re not going to close down.”

Killpack said she started her childcare center and its association with Kid City USA in August 2023 as a franchisee that benefits from the brand recognition and operating system of a national company. Kid City USA’s website lists 11 states that it operates in, including Florida, where it is headquartered and operates 50 childcare centers.

Killpack said 3170 D Grand Junction CO Inc. remained the owner of the childcare center, and Kid City USA was only the trade name. She said she has the state license to operate the center, not Kid City USA.

She said she has an attorney working to terminate the association with Kid City USA, so she can rename the childcare center.

Killpack said Bruner called her about closing her childcare center, and it went like this: “She said, ‘You will shut down, and you’ll shut down tomorrow,’ and I said, “I won’t.’ And she said, ‘I’ll make you,’ and I knew she couldn’t.

“And I don’t know why she wanted me to shut down, because she didn’t make payroll, because she couldn’t get the license in her name. I don’t know.”

Killpack said her childcare center serves about 70 families.

Daycare needs help to pay workers

Coreen Edwards said she is getting relicensed and attempting to restructure ownership of the childcare center at 493 28 1/4 Road after Kid City USA gave the daycare business back to her.

She said until that happens, which will take about a month, the employees will not get paid by Kid City USA.

Edwards has set up a GoFundMe page online in hopes of raising $50,000 to cover payroll for November for the center’s 18 employees, plus some expenses.

The GoFundMe page is at: 

www.gofundme.com/f/help-busy-bees-stay-open-for-the-community