The most acclaimed early childhood learning center in the USA, Crème de la Crème, has recently opened its first New Jersey facility.
In terms of size, amenities, curriculum, quality of teachers and security measures, Crème de la Crème pre-schools are considered without peer in the childcare market. Like all Crème schools, the Mt. Laurel center resides in a signature 21,000 s/f building, is open twelve months a year from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each weekday and offers full-time and part-time programs for children from infancy through age five. Recognizing that the most important years of a child's brain development and learning patterns occur during this time, the Crème curriculum, based on over twenty years experience with early childhood learning, is aimed at total child development.
As distinct from a standard day care facility where most activities take place in one room, Crème's interior, which resides under a 34 foot translucent skylight, and resembles a Victorian Villagescape, boasts a computer lab, art and music studios, library, dance studio, math lab, gymnasium and a mock television studio. The exterior areas include child- size tennis and basketball courts, a custom designed mini water park and numerous play areas containing an assortment of toys and playground equipment. Extensive security measures are in place at each Crème center.
"Even though there are other child care centers in the area, I've never come across anything quite like Crème before," said Melissa Bailey, executive director for the Mt. Laurel Crème and a veteran of the education industry for over 25 years. "The
children do really well here because they are not in same room every day with the same toys. They are able to get out and get re-stimulated every time they go into a new room - that's the biggest difference."
The Mt. Laurel Crème location is conveniently situated right off Rte. 38 near Rte. 295 in Bishop's Gate, an expansive business park that's home to major corporations such as Okidata, NHL Films, Ford Motor and Hewlitt Packard. "While some of our parents work in Bishop's Gate, this location is great for commuters," said Bailey. "Many of our Mt Laurel and Moorestown parents can easily drop off their children on route to work into Philadelphia and New York City." In addition to being near large clusters of office and retail buildings, Crème's are typically located in, or adjacent to, suburban lifestyle retail centers, and always situated close to upscale residential communities and major transportation routes.
Crème operates every one of its facilities and either self-develops its pre-school with a subsequent sale-leaseback transaction upon completion or enters into a build-to-suit arrangement with a developer. Crème centers typically cost more than $7 million to develop. "We usually look for strategically located 3-acre parcels on which we can build our free-standing facility that's specifically designed, sized and appointed to inspire children to learn," said Bruce Karpas, chairman and CEO of Colorado-based Crème de la Crème, Inc.
The privately-held corporation - which currently owns and operates 20 centers in eight states - expects to open a second New Jersey facility in Bridgewater in 2009. The company's aggressive expansion initiative includes plans to open at least 10 new centers a year in appropriate markets throughout the Tri-State area as well as nationally. In addition to New Jersey, Crème currently has schools in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. It expects to open five more facilities - two near Chicago, one outside of Washington, D.C., another near Cleveland and one in Scottsdale, Ariz., within the next 12 months and five more before the end of 2009. Tags: