New Business Gives Parents Last-Minute Child Care Solutions

Margaret Stradling has a job interview Thursday. Thanks to Stay 'N Play, she can go.

"You know, you never know when they're going to want to interview you," she says. "This way, I didn't have to worry about, 'Is my mom going to be available or my sister-in-law or my neighbor?' So this was so good to have this."

Stay 'N Play is a new concept in child care. For $6 an hour, parents can drop off a child weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Reservations are taken, but not required.

The business is classified as a preschool, as opposed to a child care center, meaning a child can stay there for a maximum of four hours a day.

"We are licensed educational here," says owner Kim Pederson. "We do a lot of teaching, similar to what you find at a preschool. We do arts and crafts with them...We do puzzles."

Pederson, a certified teacher, and Lisa Hiester opened their business two months ago. As stay-at-home moms, they recognized the need for a service like this.

"[With] us being home, you couldn't go to the doctor, you couldn't go to your hair appointment, if you don't have somebody," says Hiester. "Then, the teenagers go back to school. That's all you have."

Stay-at-home moms are not the only people benefiting from the service. Sharon Lubbers works full-time and brings her son twice a week.

"If I didn't have this place, I wouldn't have anywhere for him to go right now, because I really don't have anyone to keep him," Lubbers says.

The owners of Stay 'N Play are so busy that they have already hired three part-time workers. They do conduct background checks on all of their employees.