The Geist area will soon have its own Primrose School this winter.
After a long hunt for the right day care for their own child, Harrison and Anita Boyd said they were inspired by and fell in love with the model that Primrose Schools offered while living in Atlanta, Ga.
Now, the two are franchise owners of Primrose of Geist at 7615 Oaklandon Rd., Indianapolis. The opening of the school will make the eleventh Primrose in central Indiana.
Construction on the 11,000-square-foot building, an old KinderCare facility that had been closed for approximately six years, began in July and is expected to be complete by the end of the month. The school will have 11 classrooms, a conference room, offices and a reception and welcome space. Some other fun features the Boyds said they are excited about are two splash pads and a full-size basketball court, which features a state-of-the-art outdoor floor covering that provides padding for added safety. Most of the playground equipment also will be completely replaced and updated.
Anita and Harrison will be highly involved with the usual operations of the school – Anita on the day-to-day functions and Harrison on the business side.
“She’s definitely a participating owner,” Harrison said. “I think many Primrose schools have a very active owner.”
“But I don’t think, just from what I’ve heard from other families, that other owners of day cares in general are as involved,” said Anita, a Lawrence native.
Also at the helm will be the school’s director.
“We have our director, Allyson Zimmerman, and we’re really excited about her,” Anita said. “I think with her background she’ll be a perfect fit. She got her bachelor’s in early education.”
After the couple’s daughter Savannah was born in April, Anita chose to quit her career in physical therapy to focus on opening Primrose of Geist.
“I’ve worked in pediatrics, all the way up to geriatrics,” Anita said. “I love working with kids, but I quit after my daughter was born in April.”
Harrison is a practicing architect who works remotely with a company in Atlanta, Ga.
“We met in Atlanta, and when we were searching for child care for our son, everywhere had a long waitlist,” Harrison said. “Primrose is big in Atlanta. It formed there.”
“We had one near us, and we were just blown away by it.” Anita said. “We really wanted to get in, but unfortunately the wait list was over a year. I had to go back to work, so we ended up going with a different option. The more we looked into schools, we thought, ‘Man, there must really be a need if the wait list is that long,’ and we’ve always wanted to start something of our own that we were both really passionate about and felt like it was doing some good.”
Since moving back to Indiana, the couple’s son, Connor, 2 1/2, now attends a local Primrose School and will soon be a student at Primrose of Geist when it opens, along with his 7-month-old sister, Savannah.
With a capacity of approximately 176, the school is accepting pre-registration for infants from 6 weeks of age to preschool. Primrose of Geist also offers before- and after-school programs for kids in kindergarten to age 12. Transportation is provided to the day care from nearby elementary schools.
For more, visit primroseschools.com/schools/geist.
MEET THE OWNERS
Harrison and Anita Boyd met in Atlanta, Ga. Anita is originally from Lawrence and graduated from Lawrence North High School. She then earned her bachelor’s from Indiana University before moving to Atlanta, where she earned her doctorate in physical therapy from Emory University. Harrison is from Atlanta and graduated with a degree in architecture from Auburn University. Together, they have two children, Connor, 2 1/2, and Savannah, almost 7 months old.
