In 1968, when Joan Wenk investigated daycare options for her children, she saw a need for good child care and decided to tackle the problem herself.
That year, she founded Creative Playrooms Inc. to provide day care for five children. Thirty-two years later, approximately 300 children attend each of four schools.
Wenk’s first center in Maple Heights was joined by others in Garfield Heights in 1972, Solon in 1984, Westlake in 1990 and Strongsville in 1995. Last year, the Garfield Heights center merged with the original location at Maple Heights.
Expansion was coupled with a growth in revenue.
“In the last year, we have been growing by leaps and bounds,” says Wenk. “Because of additional help and additional buildings, our growth has doubled.”
In the beginning, Creative Playrooms flourished because of the economy. Wenk transported children to the centers herself and assisted in their instruction, and local companies provided materials she used to make toys.
Because Wenk is so dedicated to children, some things haven’t changed. When the Strongsville school system stopped bussing children, Wenk improvised with the use of five buses to bring children to the centers. Strongsville students account for 119 afterschoolers who, instead of going home to empty houses, have access to art rooms and computer rooms.
“All the money we make goes back into the schools,” says Wenk, into new facilities, the building of indoor pools and the purchase of computers. Wenk believes children should suffer no lack of opportunity.
As Creative Playrooms’ founder, she has met and gotten to know all the children who come through her centers. And now, Wenk’s love for children has spanned generations.
“We have second generations coming now,” she says excitedly.
The success of Creative Playrooms has depended on Wenk’s commitment to a quality staff. She has a talent for finding committed employees who share her passion for putting children first. With children as the top priority, it’s easy to understand why the centers’ programs are always grounded in proven child development research. New ideas must demonstrate a cultivation of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development before being implemented.
The emphasis on children is apparent everywhere, even in Wenk’s reaction to being named a Finalist in Ernst & Young LLP’s Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
“I am pleased and lucky,” she says. “I am just so honored that anybody would honor our love of children.” How to reach: Creative Playrooms Inc., (440) 349-9111
Courie Weston ([email protected]) is a reporter at SBN Cleveland.
