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America’s First Eco-Early Care
Eco-daycare & learning boutique opens
Then there's the custom-made organic mattresses free of formaldehyde and other chemicals, imported organic wool rugs, organic wooden toys and hormone-free meals made by an in-house chef with - you guessed it - organic foods.
The Atlanta centre has no PVC plastic products, only natural and organic toys, floors that emit radiant heat and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Kids here open the day with an affirmation, take yoga lessons and recycling classes, eat meals like red pepper quiche and then round out the afternoon with a massage to help them sleep.
Parents' growing concerns about the environment and their children's health mean a lot of daycare centers are going green.
It's an expensive premise. Monthly costs at FIO 360 range between $1,529 for preschoolers and $1,708 for infants. Klaus says her business charges about $35 more a week than other high-end child-care centers in Atlanta.
Klaus pitched the idea of a green daycare centre two years ago and began searching with co-owner Brett Radosta for vendors to import New Zealand lamb's wool for rugs and place durable floors from virgin rubber plants.
She named it FIO, after the Latin root word "to become."
Back in the center’s lobby, the blue slippers come off and there's a gathering in the "imagination" playroom, complete with a bubbling fountain and a stage where children can perform.
Klaus sits at the foot of a miniature treehouse, doing a bit of imagining herself. Her business has plenty of growth to go - there's room for 268 children - and she's already working on plans for summer camps, for a kindergarten class, for a "family concierge" to co-ordinate doctor's appointments and other events.
"We've crafted the perfect child-care centre for me," she says with a smile. She'll soon find out how many others share her green vision. fio360.com