Intermountain’s first childcare center has reached its 35th anniversary. R-Kids Childcare Center at Utah Valley Hospital celebrated the milestone this week with a luau-themed party for kids and teachers.
R-Kids opened on September 16, 1985, in one little house on the north side of campus. Four infants, seven 2-year-olds and 12 preschoolers were the first children at the center. As time passed, houses on the same street became available one-by-one until R-Kids occupied all five.
When it became apparent that more space was needed, the hospital’s Volunteer Auxiliary stepped up and provided the funds to build a new center. The new center opened in its current location behind the hospital’s Guest House in March of 1993.
Records from the first 10 years aren’t readily accessible, but from 1996 until today, R-Kids has served more than 1,150 families and 1,575 children.