Above: Gabby Tryon splashes down at the bottom of the waterslide at Countryside Children’s Center last week. Photo by Jim McGaw.

PORTSMOUTH — Even though it’s been around for 25 years, it’s still one of the best-kept secrets in Portsmouth.

“A lot of people don’t even know we’re here,” said Lori Corbishley, co-owner of Countryside Children’s Center, at 1676 East Main Road.

Indeed, the building’s long setback from the road keeps it well hidden — not a bad thing for a child care center. Only when a familiar town landmark is mentioned does a bell of recognition go off for many.

“If you say, ‘It’s where the old roller rink was,’ then they know,” said Ms. Corbishley.

Despite being somewhat secretive, the business has survived – even thrived — since 1990, when two women formed a partnership that’s lasted to this day.

Ms. Corbishley and her business partner, Betty Jenard, started off with 32 kids and now they average anywhere from 100 in the summer to 125 during the school year, just shy of the center’s licensed maximum of 132.

“Enrollment obviously goes up and down but for the most part we’ve been blessed by being full most of the time,” said Ms. Corbishley.

The only real dip the center experienced was a couple of years ago, when the public school system started full-day kindergarten. “That impacted us to some degree, and the little recession we just went through impacted us a little,” said Ms. Jenard, before adding that “things are picking up.”

The two women say “thousands” of children have come through their doors over the years, and when you’ve been in a child care business for so long, you start to see familiar faces all over again.

“I’ve lived in Portsmouth for 30 years and my kids all went to Portsmouth schools. Everywhere I go, I run into people who are Countryside parents,” said Ms. Corishley.

Ms. Jenard nodded her head. “And now we’re hiring children who were with us as toddlers,” she said.

One example is Ms. Corishley’s daughter and now employee, Sara Corbishley-Brown. She started attending Countryside when she was 2.

“We also have a lot of children of clients that we had. We’re starting to get into the second generation of kids,” Ms. Corbishley said. “It’s a huge accomplishment — especially with a partnership and the ups and down of that. It’s a rewarding business because of the children.”

Picnic table proposition 

Twenty-five years ago, Ms. Corbishley and her husband had three young children at home on Bayview Avenue. Ms. Jenard and her husband lived on the same street, along with a young couple with two kids who were involved in a small co-op children care center being operated where Countryside is now.

“The place was going into bankruptcy and they got wind of it,” recalled Ms. Corbishley. “Sitting around a picnic table in the summertime with the kids, they got this idea: ‘Wouldn’t it be fun it we could buy the child care center and run it all together?’ So, we went with it. We needed a little extra money because we were younger with children and (the Jenard’s) kids were all grown, so they came on board.”

The building was the same size as it is now, but only the downstairs was being used for child care. “Just before we bought it, the Newport County YMCA had been renting (the upstairs) and it was set up with showers and a gym room,” said Ms. Corbishley.

Ten years later, the child care center expanded to the upstairs portion of the building. About half of the building — about 12,000 square feet — is now being used for child care, for kids as young as 6 weeks old to fifth-graders in the after-school program.

The center also has a large outdoor playground about half the size of a football field. “All of out children have periods of time that they will spend outside,” said Ms. Jenard.

Known far and wide

While it may cater to the local population, Countryside’s reputation is more widespread.

“We get calls from the Navy from all over — people changing command and saying, ‘We’ve heard that Countryside is the place where we need to have our kids,’” said Ms. Corbishley, adding that the business also benefits from the local yachting industry. “We’re getting a lot of international people. We have several families from New Zealand and England doing yacht stuff and the word’s gotten out to them.”

They credit much of the success of the business to its employees. There are 36 on the payroll, about 20 working full-time, said Ms. Jenard.

“Some of our employees have been here 17, 19, 20 years,” said Ms. Corbishley. “They’re not here for the money because child care does not pay well, but they like working here, they like the environment. If you’re having a bad day and feeling down, you just grab a kid and they give you so much satisfaction. They do the funniest things. In the morning, the girls come in and they have to do a twirl around and show you what they’re wearing.”

When asked how long she and Ms. Jenard plan to keep it going, she said she never thought it would last as long as it has.

“When we bought this 25 years ago, I was convinced this was going to be a 10-year proposition. Twenty-five years later, we’re in it for the long haul.”

For more information about Countryside Children’s Center, visit www.countrysidechildrenscenter.com.