Who we are

Our Approach

KIN is an early childhood program with educational and care components for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Our program is a combination of the early childhood educational preschool and the traditional childcare center that provides care for the children of working parents. Because our society still wrestles with the biases of language, we do not refer to ourselves as a day care center. Our teachers are referred to as teachers and our work is the effort of a professional staff with our own well-developed curriculum based on current child development theory. 

KIN and KIN, Too both hold 5-star licenses from the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Resources. We care for children with special needs as well as typically developing children providing, we can meet their needs. Our program is open to all members of the community both as teachers and families.

Our Programs

KIN has three functioning component programs:

The Children's Program delivers high quality care and education based on current research and theory in child development. We particularly tend to the social and emotional development of young children and provide a stimulating environment for cognitive and physical growth through curricula that stress the natural sciences and the creative arts. We are an inclusive program, dedicated to the value of each child. Learn more about our classrooms:

• Moon Class

• Bird Class

• Water Class

• Garden Class

• Forest Class

The Parents' Program is designed to be responsive to the needs of working parents. Those efforts include a resource library, and a Parent Job program with opportunities to be involved in the Program. Parents are an integral part of this early childhood program.

The Teachers' Program KIN works hard to create a professional and stimulating environment that fosters the development of skilled teachers. We provide on-site and off-site staff development, strive to increase wages and benefits, and work hard to retain our dedicated staff.

Our History

KIN was founded in 1983 by three women seeking a sane and innovative balance between children's needs and their own work needs. Two of the women were small business owners on Ninth Street in West Durham and the third was an early-childhood teacher operating an after-school program at a local preschool. 

Originally, KIN was designed to be supported by the business community of Ninth Street, but it became apparent that after the initial support and interest, these small businesses could not regularly contribute to an institution that benefited only some of their employees. While they continue today to offer materials and support, they did not become the financial base originally hoped for.

Nonetheless, enough families had come together who were committed to the idea that they opened the program in September of 1983. The start-up expenses were met by donations of time, materials and services and major community fund raising events. Tuition, personal contributions, and loans got the business through the first two years, and we quickly found ways to manage on the revenues of tuition alone. Fund-raising each year by parents and the Board of Directors augments the purchase of materials and supplies.

In 1989 KIN expanded its program to include an additional site on Broad Street to better enable us to offer care for one- and two-year-old’s. In 1992, we added our last classroom, expanding the capacity of KIN, too. In 2014 KIN too added a class for Infants.