Wesley Chapel resident Jennifer Bellamine, who was busy working several corporate jobs years ago, relied on after-school programs to care for her now 9-year-old son.
She wanted to find a resource that could expose him to interests he wouldn't normally learn about until he was much older, such as technology, science and robotics. After a vast search, that's when Bellamine discovered Houston-based Idea Lab Kids.
The program's offerings deeply resonated with her, so she decided to open up her own Idea Lab to serve her community in Wesley Chapel. The 2,400-square-foot building opened Oct. 5 at 5937 Weddington Road.
Idea Lab Kids, founded in 2011, is a science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or "STEAM," educational space. It provides camps, after-school programs, classes, workshops, birthday parties and more using innovative subjects such as 3D design, augmented reality and coding. The program is ideal for children ages 4 to 14.
Bellamine first launched Idea Lab Kids Wesley Chapel in February 2020 — right before the pandemic unfolded.
"I knew that I couldn't open my brick-and-mortar location, so I started offering services, but in a very different way than I originally thought," she said.
Bellamine decided to roll out Idea Lab Kids originally as a mobile and virtual offering throughout quarantine.
"I just pivoted, so that I could support the community," she said. "I saw that need where the parents were working from home and struggling to help their kids."
Once stores began to open back up, Bellamine rented space from local businesses in Wesley Chapel to offer her classes and camps before landing the new physical location.
She always had a passion for education and helping others find their skill set. Bellamine volunteered at an orphanage in El Salvador and Honduras for about four to five years — helping children discover their passion and become gainfully employed.
"I still want them to be able to go out and have confidence in the ability to be who they are. And I think that what we're doing here is building those abilities for tomorrow," she said. "One of the things we say is 'we're building tomorrow's leaders, building tomorrow's innovators at Idea Lab.'"
Idea Lab Kids had 14 campuses in areas such as Houston, Florida and California as of 2017. In 2019, it expanded globally to Canada, Ecuador and Lebanon, growing to 87 locations. It also has a location in Ballantyne.
Bellamine seeks to inform the local community more about Idea Lab Kid's offerings. She is currently hosting open houses every weekend until the end of the year.
