Linda Hopkins and body bibbed granddaughter, Kennedy Krachinski.

By Laurie Lechlitner
Staff Writer

ROCHESTER — “When I lived in Southern Indiana, I worked at a daycare center,” stated Linda Hopkins. “When I moved to Rochester, I was planning to be a stay-at-home mom. But I found that people in the area needed a daycare center. So, I opened one in my home in 2000. That way I could stay at home with my own kids.

“We started out with just a few children but grew. In 2003 I was licensed, and we grew to 12 kids. We built a facility beside our home that eventually held 32 kids, ages 1 to 4 years old.”

Hopkins is the director/owner of The Rainbows End Daycare, Inc., Rochester.

“I’ve always loved watching children learn and grow. My favorite age group are 1-year-olds. Their personalities are just developing, and they are beginning to develop unique preferences. They learn so much before they are 2. We are a play-centered facility. But the children learn to share and socialize. We work with them on their colors, numbers, counting, and letters.”

A typical day for Hopkins starts in the morning when the first child is dropped off. “We fix them breakfast. Then we have particular play stations the children can visit. We have lunch and then it’s ‘Happy-Nappy’ time, when we fill out paperwork and do other things that need to be completed before the parents arrive. When the children wake up, we have the afternoon snack. The kids spend the rest of the afternoon outside, weather permitting, or playing inside until their parents pick them up. We close at 5 p.m.”

Kids and staff at the daycare center become their own little family. “If someone is missing, the kids know it. They grow to know each peer and their parents. If a staff member is missing, they’ll always ask where they are. We take care of one another and it’s a safe space. Each child knows that he/she is loved.”

That’s not to say that through the years Hopkins has not had her share of discipline problems. “That’s where the parents come in. We work together to solve disciplinary issues. We sometimes need to put a child on time out, one minute for each year of age. We try our best to make our center a positive place for all the kids.”

Since Hopkins has been in business for over 24 years, she is now serving the children of some of the parents that attended her daycare center in the past. “It’s great to spot adults in the community who have been students in the past. Through our center, I’ve been able to connect with many people living in Rochester.”

With a smile, she remarked, “Most days we take care of the kids, but some days they take care of us. Because of a drunk driver, my husband Darrell got in a bad accident on his way to work in 2005. The friend riding with him was killed. When he walked into the daycare center the day after, one of the little girls sat in his lap with her ‘blankie’ to comfort him.”

Hopkins, the entrepreneur, travels to daycare conferences selling her chest to ankle bibs, BodyBib. “That’s my invention to keep kids clean and tidy.”

The Hopkinses have three grandkids and one on the way. “Being a grandma is my favorite pastime.”