Country Kids Children's Center opened in 1998, making it one of the longest-tenured independent childcare operations in the greater St. George area. Executive Director Peggy Gubler has run the state-licensed daycare and preschool for more than two decades out of 945 Country Lane in Santa Clara, next to Summit Athletic Club and Sand Hollow Aquatic Center. The facility is nut-free, state-licensed, and structured around a curriculum that integrates nutritious meals, organized field trips, school transportation, and one of the few Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms in Southern Utah — a certified outdoor learning environment that goes well beyond a fenced playground. Two classrooms scored above state quality standards on Child Care Quality System observations, and the center received the "All Means All Award" for inclusive practices. State assistance is accepted alongside private enrollment, which is not universal among the area's independent centers. The combination of a twenty-six-year track record, a credentialed outdoor learning space, and an explicit commitment to inclusion puts Country Kids in a category of its own among Washington County's independent childcare operators.
**Verification notes** Website live and current; 1998 founding confirmed via Care.com registry; address 945 Country Ln, Santa Clara confirmed; Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom certification confirmed; Peggy Gubler named as director across multiple sources.