For the past seven years, Dr. Marta Carvajal has been a respected podiatrist in the North Hudson area, with offices in North Bergen and Union City, along with residence privileges at both Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus and Palisades General Hospital in North Bergen.
Sounds like a full plate, no?
Well, Dr. Carvajal’s days have just become even busier. Along with her husband, Juan, the good doctor has just opened the New Jersey Kids Infant Center and Day Care Center, located at the corner of 63rd Street and Durham Avenue in North Bergen.
It was only fitting that Dr. Carvajal should be around children as much as possible.
“Before I became a doctor, I was a substitute teacher in North Bergen and West New York,” Dr. Carvajal said. “I also worked in day care, so my background is with children. I think it was only natural that I should work with children. I love children so much.”
The state-of-the-art facility, which has been in the planning stages for the last four years, only to enjoy opening ceremonies last week, can house as many as 46 children. The Carvajals are licensed to care for children ages newborn to 13.
“I really thought that there should be high quality child care in the area,” Dr. Carvajal said. “I wanted to create something different, something that was not offered anywhere else.”
The Carvajals had to endure a series of painstaking processes in order to build their facility. First, they had to purchase the property, then had to make several presentations to the North Bergen Planning Board in order to receive approval to turn the former residence into a day care facility.
“It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build this place,” Juan Carvajal explained. “We started making all of the necessary moves in 1997 and we finally opened the doors. It took some time, but we were able to get the support to get it done.”
After receiving approval from the township’s Planning Board, the Carvajals then had to apply to the state Department of Licensing for Day Care Centers in Trenton. That process was also not easy.
“There were several applications that we had to fill out, in order to receive our license,” Dr. Carvajal said. “They were very thorough, before we were able to get a license.”
After the license was gained and the proper construction approvals were in place, the rest was up to the Carvajals to get the work done in order to open the doors. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place last Monday afternoon, with North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco on hand to do the honors.
“It certainly helps our residents who have children, but who also work,” Sacco said. “A facility like this is an asset to the community and I commend the Carvajals’ efforts in getting the doors open. I think it’s going to work out well for them, because they’re in an excellent location.”
The day care center is located directly across the street from the proposed extension to Lincoln School – an extension that will eventually house all of the students participating in the Board of Education’s Early Childhood Program for 4-year-old students.
“Beginning in September, we will offer part-time day care for the 4-year-old students,” said Sacco, who is also the assistant superintendent of schools for the Board of Education. “Parents may elect to take their students across the street to complete the rest of the day.”
Carvajal insists that it is merely a coincidence that there will be so many children located in the general vicinity once the Lincoln School extension is completed.
“We didn’t know anything when we bought the property,” Dr. Carvajal said. “It just turned out that way. Hopefully, we can get some of those students.”
Dr. Carvajal said that she held an open house last Sunday, an event that drew close to 70 prospective parents interested in finding quality childcare in the area.
“I was very impressed with how many people showed up,” Dr. Carvajal said. “We had a lot of people come in, looking for care for their infants more than anything. There aren’t too many child care facilities that take infants.”
Dr. Carvajal said that she already has a quality staff in place, ready to handle the needs of the children.
“We have hired a few teachers and we will hire more, if needed,” Dr. Carvajal said. “I’m very excited to see where this goes. As a doctor, I encourage quality childcare. We’re in the process of insuring that happens here.” Besides her commitments to her patients, Dr. Carvajal also has a 4-year-old daughter and a 9-month-old daughter as well. So she definitely has experience caring for children, even if the experience begins at home.
“I have my patients waiting for me,” Dr. Carvajal said. “But they all understand how important this has been to my husband and myself.”