Kid builds mom a child care center
By Morris Stevenson, Staff Writer
Armed with a hammer and lots of nails, 19-year-old Tommy Thompson is literally building his mother a child care center in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
Well, there's a little more to it than that, but not much more. To get the total picture, add in the fact that Thompson gained valuable knowledge while enrolled in the building trade classes at Franklin County High School. In addition, he has worked fulltime in the building profession.
The 2000 graduate of FCHS is recieving occasional assistance from his boss, building contractor Tim Arner, along with a couple of his teenage friends. He also is "seeing light at the end of the tunnel" when it comes to completing the state-licensed, Country Kids Child Care Center, for his mother, Linda.
The facility, with latest in technology and computers for the four-year-olds, is being constructed on State Street in Rocky Mount behind the Batting Cages facility off North Main Street.
The facility is expected to be open by early fall. "We had a lot of rain when we didn't need it as far as the job's concerned and it's thrown us behind," said his father, Tommy Thompson Jr.
As a sophomore, Thompson (whose given name is Thomas M. Thompson III) enrolled in the building trades courses at Franklin County High School. Wayne Webb, his instructor, sparked his interest in building. "My father did some roofing on the side and I helped him some. Mr. Webb was a real good guy who really helped me along the way," the young builder said.
"Mr. Webb started the 'student of the month' honor and I won the first one given. Mr. Webb also is the one who recommended me when Mr. Arner came to school looking for top students in the class who might be interested in working for him," Thompson went on to say.
Then during his junior and senior years, he worked for Arner in the school's co-op program. Arner is a builder at Smith Mountain Lake. Thompson also was employed by Arner during the summer months while he was in high school. And, he went to work on a full-time basis after graduating a year ago.
His father, also known as Tommy, said his son talked to him about the possibility of building the child care center when the project was in its early stages. "I felt sure he was capable of handling the project, but I still called Tim, his boss, to discuss the idea and get his opinion," the father said.
Arner confirmed the elder Thompson's opinion that his son could handle the project. Arner even volunteered to stop by the project site from time to time and check out young Thompson's work. Arner also volunteered to assist the teenager if he ever needed his help. After all, there are times when another set of hands is necessary.
Arner gave Thompson time off from his job with Timothy Arner & Sons Building Contractors to work on his mother's project.
In addition to Arner, Thompson is getting some help from a couple of his teenage buddies. Matt Renick,16, of Rocky Mount, a rising junior at FCHS, has been driving some nails for his friend Tommy. Renick has never attended building trades classes at FCHS, but has helped his father, Deputy Sheriff Bobby Renick,build a couple of houses.
Another of Thompson's friends, Chris White,17 a rising senior at FCHS, has also pitched in to assist. His experience is expected to come into play even more as the as the project nears completion. White's father has a business installing vinyl siding. Chris has helped his father, Allan, on numerous jobs.
So when it comes time to put the vinyl siding into place, Chris White's experience will be invaluable.
Once the center's foundation was poured, the teenager went to work. He marked off the 2,700 square foot building. He was quick to point out that he did not do the electrical or plumbing work, but his father quickly added,"But, he lined them up for me."
When the center opens, Mrs. Thompson will enroll up to 64 children, ages two, three, and four."At five, they start kindergarden," she pointed out.
The building will contain three classrooms, one for each of the age levels. While the room for the four year olds will contain computers, Mrs Thompson said that all age levels will have learning experiences such as music and art.
One of the most unique features of Country Kids Chilcare Center is that in the near future, it will be equipped with cameras. With a password, parents will be able to go online and see what their child is doing anytime during the day.
Mrs. Thompson explained each class will have a "lead" teacher and there will be at least three assistants, one for each room. All will be state certified.
Country Kids will operate from 5:45am until 6:15pm Monday through Friday. "To begin with, we won't be offering a before and after school program, but we may go into it if the demand is there," Mrs. Thompson said.
In addition to the main building, there will be a fenced play area that is approximately 5,000 square feet in size.
Mrs. Thompson is looking forward to getting started in her new adventure. The couple's youngest daughter, Samantha, 11, a rising sixth grader at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, will help her mother set up the computer systems. "Samantha is the one who knows about computers in this family," Mrs. Thompson remarked. However, she'll also be getting help from the oldest child in the family, Nikki, a 20 year old sophomore at Ferrum College.
While Mrs. Thompson's husband and two daughters are behind her efforts 100 percent, there are not many moms around who can proudly proclaim their teenage son actually built a business for them.