New concept in child care combines with coworking space in DC

"We are the first and only company to provide fully licensed children care integrated with coworking space in the United States," said Kelsey Lents, co-founder of Two Birds. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)(Getty Images/iStockphoto/champlifezy@gmail.com)

A new child care facility near the Tenleytown-AU Metro station in Northwest D.C. expands child care opportunities for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in a unique way.

“We are the first and only company to provide fully licensed children care integrated with coworking space in the United States,” said Kelsey Lents, co-founder of Two Birds. “We have families, and children, and parents, and teachers all under one roof.”

The center’s website describes how parents working upstairs can pop downstairs at any time to visit their kids or take them out for a walk.

“We make it possible for families to prioritize both their children and their careers without feeling like they have to compromise on the quality of either,” Lents said.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser attends the ribbon cutting ceremony for Two Birds child care and workspace in Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 3, 2019. (Courtesy Mayor Muriel Bowser Livestream)

A city grant supplied $330,000 for the planning and construction of Two Birds that will accept child care subsidy vouchers from low-income families.

At the center’s ribbon cutting Friday afternoon, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser talked about the city undergoing somewhat of a baby boom and how her administration set a goal last year to expand the number of available infant and toddler child care slots by 1,000.

“This marks our halfway point toward that ambitious goal,” said State Superintendent Hanseul Kang.

Two Birds has space for 72 infants and toddlers and 42 pre-K aged children.

Some of the services working parents can expect from Two Birds include shared or dedicated desk space, event space and a conference room. And, for the parenting side, there’s a nursing lounge and pump room, and licensed educational child care.

Infographic on the services offered by Two Birds child care. (Courtesy Two Birds)

Kristi King

Kristi King is a veteran reporter who has been working in the WTOP newsroom since 1990. She covers everything from breaking news to consumer concerns and the latest medical developments.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up