Past the lunchroom and beyond the special needs room lies a hidden world of fingerpaint and blocks called Bingham Child Care Lab, also known as the Kopper Kids Child Care. This is an area for students to learn about taking care of little ones. Students come in for a period a day to help with the kids of Bingham. In order for the children to qualify, their parents must work for the Jordan School District in some capacity. The children get two meals a day, naps, and lots of love. ‘The kids learn skills like letters and numbers in Spanish,  following a routine of learning, playing, and practicing their motor skills. Adult aide Karen McAllister says that her favorite part of the childcare is coming up with as many ways to teach the kids as possible. She is the one who sings songs and dances with them as they learn new things. Mcallister reveals that “This is one job I do enjoy coming to.”

The students that work there find joy in spending time with the kids. Karli Frank is a paid student assistant that comes in before school and stays after school to take care of the children until their parents come. She hopes to study Elementary Education in college to become a school teacher and gets experience from working in the daycare. She says that she adores seeing her little friends in the halls, especially when they recognize her and run up for a hug.

Kim Black is the manager of the Child Care lab. Her goals include keeping a clean, healthy environment for the kids and to help them grow. “This job is such a blessing in my life,” she says. Black finds joy in providing the service of child care for the parents. She’s glad to be trusted with the kids. Black has taken schooling through the state and worked at a different preschool in the valley before coming to Bingham. ‘She is CPR trained and has her food handlers permit, as all workers are required to have’. There is nowhere else Black would rather be. “For me, it’s a home away from home,” Black says. “At least that’s what we try to make it be.”

Despite needing to change endless diapers, wipe tantrum tears, and cleaning drool off everything, Bingham’s Kopper Kids lab is a place of happiness that allows for kids to grow and thrive in a place where they can feel loved. It brings a smile to the face of those who enter.