Member Spotlight: Kango Academy and Play Center

Kango Academy and Play Center was created by Lisa and Andy Curwin, and opened in the fall of 2009. Kango, a combination of a preschool and daycare with an expansive indoor playground, employs 11 full-time and 30 part-time employees, The Play Center is open to the public and offers a family-fun recreation center in a clean, inviting environment, as well as birthday parties, corporate and community events. The Kango Academy is a separate child care facility at the same location, with day care, pre-school, afterschool care, camps, and a full day kindergarten.

The Curwins, both Rochester natives, built Kango with the goal of creating a safe, clean environment for kids to play. "By adding a strong focus on customer service, we are having success at making sure parents want to bring their children again and again," said Andy Curwin.

The Curwins have three children of their own, and their youngest attends the pre- Kindergarten program at Kango Academy. "The idea was to build a place that would fi t our family's needs," said Lisa Curwin, who is also serves as director of education. "We just hoped that other families would enjoy the same things."

What's New
"Since we are new, almost everything we do is a new development, but we are offering camps for both preschool kids and school age kids this summer. We are also adding more family programming for the Play Center throughout the year," says Andy Curwin.

Challenges
As with any new business, the main challenge facing the Curwins is getting the word out. "We are new, and our model is something different in the market. Not only do we have to tell people that we are here, but we need to educate our clientele as to what we do and how well we do it," says Andy Curwin.

Rochester Business Alliance Member
Kango has been of member of the Rochester Business Alliance since it opened its doors in 2009. "RBA is an excellent resource for networking as well as providing training on issues that are important to a growing business," says Andy Curwin.

Contact Info:
Andrew Curwin, Owner
Kango Academy & Play Center
1565 Jefferson Road, Suite 180
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 235-7529
www.KangoPlay.com

By Kevin Donahue, director of membership and business development