Florissant Council Hears Proposal for Aubrey’s Kids Social Club at 540 Huddershell

Shontay Gates presented a special-use permit request to the Florissant City Council on Jan. 26 for Aubrey’s Kids Social Club, an after-school youth enrichment program proposed for 540 Huddershell Road.

Gates told the council Aubrey’s Kids Social Club is "a membership based youth enrichment program serving children ages 5 to 12 years old," offering basic, plus and elite programs, staggered arrivals to limit traffic and an after-school van pickup service to collect children from nearby schools. She said child safety would be prioritized through background checks for staff, written emergency procedures and state-required staff-to-child ratios.

Council members pressed for operational details. Councilman Egan asked whether the program would prepare food; Gates replied, "No. Only prepackaged snacks and prepackaged foods. We won't be cooking anything, at the social club." Egan also asked how vans and arrivals would be routed; Gates described a one-way traffic plan and said she is negotiating use of an underused Walgreens parking area for staged pick-ups.

Councilwoman Parson asked about age-grouping and outdoor activities; Gates said programming would generally split 5–8 and 9–12 groups and that all activities would be indoors initially until a fence and permits allow safe outdoor play. Gates said she has discussed fencing and permits with the building owner, who is supportive.

On staffing and licensure, Councilman Manganelli and others asked whether a licensed director would be on-site. Gates said she holds college degrees and prior director experience and that, "If I need a license, I'll get a license," adding she would recruit or designate a licensed director as required. Gates said she would perform quarterly background checks for employees, exceeding the typical annual standard.

Gates said she was awaiting a fire marshal inspection before providing a final capacity number. After questions, Councilman Egan moved to close the public hearing; Councilwoman Parson seconded the motion, which carried. The mayor told Gates the item will return for final readings and a vote at the Feb. 9 meeting.

The council did not take final action on the permit at the Jan. 26 session; outstanding items the council flagged include confirmation of capacity after fire-marshal review and any required licensing or state approvals.