About Us

Main Hall

Kid’s Academy is a family owned and operated business which opened in October 2001 with one building with 8 classrooms. The doors opened with 6 teachers and 35 kids. Buda was just starting to grow. HEB had just opened down the road and Cabela’s soon followed. The dream began in early 2000 when Julie Leech and her sister Christi Baeumel began planning to go into the childcare business. Christi, a Miami University graduate with a degree in Early Childhood Education and over 6 years of experience in the childcare industry, and Julie who graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Business, recognized the need for quality childcare in the Buda, Texas area.

They found the perfect location and purchased a 1.25 acre lot on Main Street, next to Bradford Park. They put together a business plan and obtained a small business loan to build a 6000 square foot childcare center. Working with an architect and contractor, they designed and built Kid’s Academy Building 1 in 2001. A second Building was added in 2005.

Julie passed away in 2018 but her “kindness” legacy lives on. Christi still has her directors Certificate but has assumed the role of Business Manager while raising her 3 kids. Julie’s daughter, Katie, is part owner but is not involved in the day-to-day operations.