Parents Back Owners Of Kinder College

When Lesliann Thomas picks up her son at Kinder College, she says the day care near Whitworth College comes with a Lysol scent.

“It’s never not clean,” Thomas says.

Parents picking up children at the 824 E. Hastings center Monday night said they were shocked by allegations against another Kinder College at 1002 E. North.

The state closed the center Monday, effective Friday. It’s the second Kinder College shut down this month.

Even so, parents at the Hastings center say they won’t switch day cares. Some have written letters to Gov. Mike Lowry supporting Judith Roberts, who owns all four Kinder Colleges in Spokane County.

“I love this place,” says Tony Fountain, picking up his 8-year-old son, who’s been cared for at the center for four years. “I’ll always keep him here. They take good care of my son. They pick him up from school. There aren’t too many day cares doing that.”

The center, converted from a two-story home, cares for children from 4-1/2 to 12 years old. There are tables for board games and a room with a pool table, pinball games and foosball. Upstairs, there’s a pink girls room with clothes for playing dressup and a toy stove. The boys have a blue room, featuring plastic race-car tracks.

The back yard holds a trampoline, a volleyball court and a basketball hoop.

Teresa Roberts, the owner’s daughter and assistant manager at the Hastings center, says some children think she’s their second mom. They hug her, and they bring her flowers.

“You close down all the day cares in Spokane, where are the kids going to go?” Roberts asks. “They love us.”

, DataTimes