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New Kiddie Academy® of Kennesaw facility emphasizes outdoor play

Former pediatric nurse opens educational child care franchise location

By Kiddie Academy September 10, 2024

Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw, the new Atlanta-area franchise location of nationally recognized Kiddie Academy® Educational Child Care, is now open and offers a curriculum that exceeds all Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS). The independently owned and operated franchise location also emphasizes the importance of outdoor play as one of the first child care facilities in the area with interactive water features and canopied play structures housed on an 8,638 square-foot playground.


Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw, the new Atlanta-area franchise location of nationally recognized Kiddie Academy® Educational Child Care, is now open and offers a curriculum that exceeds all Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS).

Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw, the new Atlanta-area franchise location of nationally recognized Kiddie Academy® Educational Child Care, is now open and offers a curriculum that exceeds all Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS).

Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw emphasizes the importance of outdoor play as one of the first child care facilities in the area with interactive water features and canopied play structures housed on an 8,638 square-foot playground.

Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw emphasizes the importance of outdoor play as one of the first child care facilities in the area with interactive water features and canopied play structures housed on an 8,638 square-foot playground.

"Because several of the child care facilities in our area are over a decade old, we saw an opportunity to bring in updated child care amenities and playground equipment that can't be found nearby," said Payal Anand, owner of Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw. "Our goal is to help foster a love of learning and playing outside in the children we serve."

The state-of-the-art Academy, owned and operated by Payal and Ajay Anand, held its grand opening event on July 27. Payal, formerly a pediatric nurse of 12 years, and Ajay, a financial advisor, are from Smyrna. As parents of two children, they knew the importance of outdoor play as part of a high-quality early childhood education program that encourages the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of young children.

Kiddie Academy's systemwide Life Essentials® curriculum outperforms all early learning standards outlined by GELDS in the areas of physical development and motor skills, social and emotional development, approaches to play and learning, communication, language and literacy, and cognitive development and general knowledge for children from birth through preschool. Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw is licensed to offer its curriculum to 187 children in the Atlanta area.

"Throughout my career as a pediatric nurse, I knew I wanted to continue to work with children in an impactful way. Now I'm able to help develop children in all areas and then watch them thrive," said Anand.

The 10,000 square-foot Kiddie Academy of Kennesaw is equipped with nine classrooms, a full on-site kitchen with all meals included and more. The Academy has brought 20 jobs to the community.

For more information, visit kiddieacademy.com/academies/kennesaw/.

About Kiddie Academy®
Since its inception in 1981, the Kiddie Academy system has been recognized as a leading brand in educational child care. The company serves families and their children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old, offering full- and part-time care, before- and after-school care, and summer camp programs, through the Kiddie Academy system. Kiddie Academy's proprietary Life Essentials® Curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities, and techniques help prepare children for life. The company's philanthropic efforts, including support of national nonprofit Family Promise, take character education lessons learned in the classroom beyond Academy walls. Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC has also received corporate accreditation from the globally recognized Cognia accreditation system, signifying its commitment to quality education and the highest standards in child care. For more information, visit kiddieacademy.com or find Kiddie Academy on Facebook at Facebook.com/KiddieAcademy.

About Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC
Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC is based in Maryland. There are currently more than 330 open Academies in the Kiddie Academy system, located in 40 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 38,000 children. Each franchised location in the Kiddie Academy system is an independently owned and operated business. For more information, visit franchising.kiddieacademy.com.