Island Kids Child Care Center to open in Lakewood Ranch

At 19 years old, Lakewood Ranch’s Ann MacClellan was taking classes for her associates degree at Niagara County Community College in New York. 

But before heading to class, she would drop off her son, Ian MacClellan, at daycare. 

Seeing how much her son loved going to daycare inspired a passion for education, and MacClellan decided to become a teacher.

Now MacClellan is opening Island Kids Child Care Center in Lakewood Ranch tentatively on Nov. 18. The center will provide childcare services and preschool programming for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old. Registration will be open through the end of the month. 

MacClellan said it’s surreal that she and her husband, Jason MacClellan, have created a successful business with three locations. 

“I was a single mom for so long, and I just kept persevering and no matter what, I didn’t give up,” she said. “I knew that I had to make it for my son, and I knew there was no choice for me except to say, ‘Yep, I’m going to make it.’ It’s been a long road, but it’s been worth it.”

MacClellan opened her first Island Kids in 2013 in Grand Island, New York, after spending 10 years as a special education teacher. 

In 2012, she had just received her School Building Leader Certificate with her second masters degree and was planning to be a school principal, but then she found out she was pregnant. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

When her daughter, Hannah, was born, she and Jason MacClellan considered starting an at-home daycare. Instead, they decided to open a facility and named it Island Kids. 

They expanded the facility in 2016 and opened a second location in 2018. 

“We’re a big part of our community there, and that’s what we’re looking to do here in Lakewood Ranch because we live here now,” MacClellan said. 

MacClellan said it’s important to her to be an involved, hands-on owner. She said communication with parents and families is key to ensuring they feel confident in sending their children to Island Kids. To ensure open communication, MacClellan said she’s always available by phone, even during the weekends. 

With Island Kids providing services for children to 12 years old, MacClellan said watching them grow and develop makes any challenges she might face worthwhile. She said she’s had children who have grown up and eventually worked at Island Kids or families who have another baby years later and return because they wanted to be a part of the Island Kids community. 

MacClellan said Jason MacClellan has been called “Uncle Jason” by students and her mother, Ricki Harper, who has a library in the center, has been called “grandma.”

She said it’s a family environment that caters to the families individually based on space and need as the center can accommodate small and large class sizes as well as individual instruction. 

Island Kids will be able to accommodate approximately 135 children, and 24 families already are registered. 

MacClellan said unlike some daycare centers, Island Kids will be open as much as possible in the case of a hurricane or severe weather so parents have a space to send their children. She said as long as it’s safe for staff and families to get to the center and the center is in working condition, it will be open. The center also will be open on Saturday on an as-needed basis. 

At Island Kids, Ricki Harper has a library in the center. MacClellan said she works with the kids every day, does crafts with them and teaches them how to use the library. Kids ages 3 to 5 receive a library card and are able to check out books from the library so they know how to use a library card in the future. 

Unlike the Island Kids in New York, the Lakewood Ranch Island Kids has an art room, MacClellan said. The center also has a gross motor room, which is a room that helps children engage their senses.

The center also will host events, including a fall festival and holiday festivities, for its families.