By Kathy Chouteau
Smith Kiddie Korral, a child development center in the city’s Coronado neighborhood, is celebrating 45 years of service with an “Anniversary Celebration” Sunday, July 28 from 2-6 p.m. outside the Girls Club and Multicultural Bookstore at 260 Broadway.
The special outdoor event will not only honor the center’s deep significance to the neighborhood, city and region’s children, but also its founder Henrietta Smith. All are invited to attend.
The celebration will include games such as basketball, activities, a photo booth, cake, food and refreshments, as well as a remarks from Smith’s grandson, Brandon Evans, employees and former students. The child development center will also take sign-ups that day, and event organizers will take time to present the honoree with some flowers.
Evans shared that his maternal grandmother relocated to Richmond in the early 1960s from Barrett Station near Houston, TX, to be near an uncle who was part of the ‘40s war effort. “She was an 18-year-old woman in search of a better life, and she has been here ever since,” he said.
Smith soon was raising her own family in the Coronado neighborhood and had an idea…Although she didn’t have formal experience, she saw a great community need for child care. So she took one of her family homes in the neighborhood and, along with some family members, turned it into a child development center serving local children from infancy to 13/14 years old.
The Richmond child care leader—who has five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren of her own—operates her center from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, providing pick-up and drop-off service for busy parents.
Aside from making sure all “her kids” have the foundational skills that put them on a path to academic success, Evans said his grandmother also serves them home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. He said that Smith, the former Southern girl, is a great cook.
Evans said that through the years, his grandmother not only helped connect families to subsidized child care options, but also helped others open up their own businesses since she was at the forefront of the local industry.
In the near future, Smith is expected to retire, while her family takes over the leadership of the business. Sunday’s event offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate all she has meant to the Richmond community.
Evans said his grandmother is a pioneer because she had an idea, ran with it and “raised a generation of Richmond children.”
The Smith Kiddie Korral is located at 145 South 20th Street in Richmond. Those wishing to reach the child development center can call (510) 510-235-3631. Again, Sunday’s “Anniversary Celebration” is at the Girl’s Club, 260 Broadway in Richmond.
