BLOOMINGTON - A new preschool and day-care center wants to provide families with some "outside the lines care."

That motto fits the business in principal and in name, said Andrew Hunt, business development administrator for Scribbles Center for Learning.

The business, 1415 Woodbine Road, plans to open as a flexible-care center in east Bloomington late this year or early next year, Hunt said.

Scribbles recently received a $1.2 million building permit for the center, which will offer child care, preschool and before- and after-school care for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years.

Parents can pick from full-time, part-time and flexible hourly care, whatever fits their lifestyles, Hunt said.

"You might have a stay-at-home mom who might need some hours during the day, or a nurse who has a changing schedule. … We should be able to cater to all types of different families," Hunt said.

The inspiration for the business came as Hunt and his wife, Erika, were planning for their family and researching child-care options. They have a 1-year-old son now but found it difficult to find a place they thought was ideal for their work schedules.

Hunt has modeled Scribbles off of another flexible-care center in Mackinaw and worked closely with its owner, Tracy Lockenour, to develop this business.

Lockenour, also the enrollment coordinator for Scribbles Center for Learning, has seen the benefits of flexible care in the five years she's been running Eastside Educational Center in Mackinaw.

"It works because families are really struggling right now to find things that fit into their schedule," Lockenour said.

At many day-care centers, families pay a full-time rate regardless of whether they send their children to the center all day, Lockenour said. At Scribbles Center for Learning, parents will pay a fee that covers the time their children are in the center's care. That way, children get quality early education and child care but also can be with their parents - the best caregivers - as much as possible, she said.

Scribbles Center for Learning will have seven to nine classrooms in more than 11,000 square feet. A 20,000 square foot playground also is in the works, Hunt said.

One teacher to every four children is an acceptable Department of Children and Family Services teacher-to-child ratio, but Scribbles would like to maintain a ratio of one teacher per three children as much as possible, Lockenour said.

Initially, the center will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. It might expand to include weekend programming, Hunt said.