Coppell Chronicle Vol. 6, No. 15
Kiddin’ Around is Seriously Closing Down • Coppell ISD Combats Declining Enrollment • Local Speller Ties for 10th at National Bee • Council Approves House Demolition Contract
I apologize for my tardiness. As I told my followers on Instagram and Notes this morning, I’ve been preoccupied for the past few days by my 30-year reunion at Allegheny College. I tried to finish this edition during my flight from PIT to DAL this afternoon, but the Wi-Fi on Southwest Airlines was a tad spotty. (First-world problems, amirite?)
Kiddin’ Around is Seriously Closing Down
Coppell parents are lamenting the loss of a popular childcare option. Kiddin’ Around Coppell announced last week on its social media that it will close permanently on June 20.
“We are so grateful for the families who have trusted us over the years,” the posts on Facebook and Instagram said. “It has been an honor to be a part of your children’s lives and to share in so many special memories.”
Kiddin’ Around offers drop-in service for families who are charged hourly rates. If you can’t find a babysitter who’s willing to watch your kids for just an hour or two, Kiddin’ Around can accommodate you.
“I hate to hear this! It's definitely an end of an era,” Angie Biggs said in a long comments thread under a post in the “Coppell, Texas” group on Facebook. “My kids used to beg us to let them stay there. It was a great experience with wonderful people.”
The closure announcement invited people to submit questions via email, and your correspondent was among those who did so. One of the owners, Coppell resident Madhavi Makkena-Patel, provided some context when responding to my inquiry.
“We did not make this decision lightly,” Makkena-Patel wrote. “We knew this would impact our staff, the families we serve, and the broader community. This decision is not related to quality of care or operational issues. It reflects changing circumstances that unfortunately made our model more difficult to sustain.”
Makkena-Patel then listed some of those changing circumstances: reduced childcare needs with more people working remotely since the pandemic, the increased costs of just about everything due to inflation, and the aging of the Coppell community with fewer young families moving in.
Kiddin’ Around has been in business on Parkway Boulevard since 2000, when it was founded by Debbie Williams and Gina Jones. Coppell resident Jyoti Masurekar began working there in 2004 and has been the director since 2008. Makenna-Patel said Masurekar “has been with us through it all and is the core of what makes Kiddin’ Around special. She cares for the kids, parents, and staff like they are her own family. And there is no better staff than the ones at Kiddin’ Around. They made it fun for the kids because they cared so much about them.”
Since the closure announcement, Kiddin’ Around’s social media accounts have featured pictures of fixtures and equipment that are available for sale. Those posts say all proceeds will go toward staff bonuses.
Makenna-Patel said customers, employees past and present, and supporters are invited to stop by on June 21 to take photos, connect one last time, and say goodbye. Children will be able to choose a favorite toy or keepsake so they can take a small piece of Kiddin’ Around with them.
Coppell ISD Combats Declining Enrollment
Coppell ISD’s demographer predicted that the district’s total enrollment will be 10 percent lower in five years and 17 percent lower a decade from now.
There were 13,056 students in Coppell ISD during the school year that just ended. During the May 18 meeting of the Board of Trustees, Zonda Demographics presented a forecast that says only 10,814 students will be enrolled during the 2035-2036 school year.