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A Learning Experience Awaits These Children After School

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2007

CORY LAKE ISLES - When Sally Cavallo moved to Florida in 2004, she purposely kept her business plans loose.

Ready for change after 15 years as a licensed child care provider in her home state of New York, she pondered opening a women's gym after settling in New Tampa.

After a successful battle with breast cancer, however, she returned to what she knows best and now owns and operates Kidz Kraze, an after-school program blending computer learning with homework assistance.

'It's my vision,' she said of the 1,500-square-foot facility that opened Aug. 20 in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center. Almost immediately, enrollment reached 30, and Cavallo plans to expand to the adjoining space once 10 more children join the program.

It is not day care; 'it's an enrichment program' open to children ages 5 to 11, she stressed. 'They're doing something more positive than just sitting around.'

The children, grouped by age, rotate among the vividly decorated classrooms, each staffed by one of six Kidz Kraze employees.

Groups move from the Homework Help station to the reading room to classes offering age-appropriate instruction in art, health, nutrition, safety and more. There's also aerobics, dancing and other exercise for children. Soon to be added is Spanish as a second language, geared for ages as young as 5.

Once weekly, groups visit the movie room to watch an appropriate DVD on the 100-inch projection television.

The favorite by far, however, is the lab offering 14 state-of-the-art Dell computers with 20-inch flat-screen monitors and Internet access that leads the user to the Disney Web site. From there, the young users are directed to other educational Web sites or software covering math, piano instruction and other subjects.

'We learn by playing the games,' offered bubbly 8-year-old Jordan Thomas, a Heritage Elementary third-grader. 'I like the staff.'

It was a pleasant surprise for his mother, who said Jordan initially opposed enrolling in an after-school program.

'He didn't know what to expect,' Audrey Thomas said. When mom arrived after work that first day, however, she found a changed person. 'He did not want to leave. He wants to be a part of Miss Sally's family,' she said with a laugh.

'It's a unique place; the kids learn so much,' Thomas said of Kids Kraze, convenient to the family's Addison Park at Cross Creek apartment. 'It's a fun environment where the kids learn a lot. They're never bored.

'I'm really impressed. And I have faith my son will be well taken care of.'

Jason Johnson of Arbor Greene said his 5-year-old daughter, Avery, loves the place. 'She actually gets excited about coming here and yells at me if I come too early' to pick her up, he said.

Such comments don't surprise Cavallo. 'Although it's tutorial, the kids love it here,' she said. 'It's really kid-friendly; they feel like it's really their place, and that's what's important to me.'

The learning center, registered with Hillsborough County's School Readiness program, operates from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Transportation on the center's bus is included in the $100 weekly cost, as is a daily snack. Parents pick up their children.

One Friday night each month, the center offers Parent Date Night, at which children can partake of activities until 10 p.m.

Cavallo said she will operate year-round, including summer months and holiday breaks.

Cavallo, who has been self-employed most of her life, was not emphatic about opening another business. 'When I first came to Florida, my first idea was to enjoy the palm trees,' she said.

Her Kidz Kraze 'vision' evolved after her 8-year-old nephew complained that there were no after-school programs in the area, and the one at his school, Pride Elementary, had a waiting list of 120.

Unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer, it became necessary to return to New York, where her medical insurance would provide necessary treatment. After 10 months of treatment and staying with relatives on Long Island, she returned to her Arbor Greene home.

'I still look at it as if I was blessed. I'm cancer-free and I feel good,' she said with a smile.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Kidz Kraze

WHERE: 10347 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite D (Cory Lake Isles Professional Center)

WHEN: From 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday

HOW MUCH: $100 per week

INFORMATION: Call (813) 907-0700 or visit www.kidzkraze.com.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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