My name is Joe Piket, and my wife Sarah and I are the Franchise Owners for the Primrose School of Maple Grove and the Primrose School of Champlin Park. We live in Maple Grove with our two children Riley and Gabrielle (when they are not away at college). As working parents, child care has been a part of Sarah and my lives since the birth of our children in 2000. Sarah and I, like many parents, have had to balance the demands of family and careers all the while wondering if having our children in child care all day was good for them. From our own experience, we clearly recognize the importance of quality child care and the impact it has on children’s lives. For the most part, I felt that the child care my children were getting was providing the basics of a safe, secure and happy environment. However, I always felt that something was missing from the local child care providers I entrusted my children with every day. That something missing was the learning component. With many children in child care for 8+ hours a day there was a great opportunity to teach them more about the world around them and to leverage their love for learning at a time in their lives when their capacity to learn was as great as it will ever be. This was the biggest reason I looked into how I could bring a Primrose School to Maple Grove. I realized that educational child care was what I wanted for my children but could not find in Maple Grove. And after talking to my friends and neighbors in the community, I realized it was what Maple Grove wanted as well. So with Sarah's support, I decided to leave my career in the corporate world to start the Primrose School of Maple Grove. I am excited to provide this beneficial service to my community and I look forward to talking to you about Primrose Schools and how it can serve the needs of your children and your family.