National child care provider hopes to build two centers in north Rochester

Oct. 27—ROCHESTER — A national childcare firm —

O2B Kids

— hopes to build two Med City locations to provide care and early education for preschool and school age children.

O2B Kids, which is based in Gainesville, Florida, filed building permits this week for a pair of 11,000-square-foot child care centers to bookend north Rochester.

The northwest center is proposed to be built on a parcel near 5579 Villa Road NW within the

Chateau Circle

commercial development area.

The proposed northeast center is slated to be built on land near 245 Penny NE. It would be off 37th Street near

Tommy's Car Wash

and a Think Bank branch.

O2B, which has 43 locations that are mostly in Florida and Georgia, entered the Minnesota market in January with the acquisition of four Children of Tomorrow Learning Centers, said O2B Marketing Director Michelle Deschamps. Those Minnesota centers are located in the cities of Chanhassen, Waconia, Norwood Young America and Carver.

"After adding Children of Tomorrow, it just makes sense to move on the opportunity to expand more in Minnesota," she said. "While we're in the early stages of permitting, we're excited for the chance to become part of the community there and to grow in the Minnesota area."

Founded in 1998, O2B describes itself as "a rapidly growing company focused on providing high-quality care and early education to children from infancy through school ages." That can include child care, after-school care and summer camps.

While the final details will depend on Minnesota licensing, Deschamps estimated that the proposed center could possibly accommodate about 150 preschool and school aged children.

In 2018, O2B became a portfolio company under Spire Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm.

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