Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

When Eboni and Frank James became parents, they quickly learned how difficult it was to secure childcare in Knoxville.

Their son, Kingston, was born prematurely and spent a month in the NICU. Between hospital visits, classes at UT, and work, the young couple searched for support—but every childcare center they called was full, with long waitlists.

Then, while visiting family in Nashville, they discovered a facility that offered something they had never seen before: drop-in childcare. Parents could bring their children as needed, without being tied to a weekly contract or a months-long wait.

The couple immediately asked themselves, why doesn’t Knoxville have something like this?

That question became the foundation of Kids Cove, which they opened in 2022 as Knoxville’s only drop-in childcare center.

A Bit of Background

Both Frank and Eboni grew up in West Tennessee, about 40 minutes apart, but didn’t meet until college.

Eboni had long dreamed of becoming a juvenile court judge, so she enrolled in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Law. Frank, driven by an interest in HR and logistics, studied at the Haslam College of Business.

“We are college sweethearts,” they said. “And we had our son Kingston in our final year of our professional collegiate careers. It was a really hard time for us with time management and lack of support with family being on the other side of the state.”

After graduating in 2018, Frank served as a captain in the Army, focusing on logistics and personnel, while Eboni began working in Oak Ridge as associate general counsel at a major government contracting agency. It was during this time that they began to fully grasp the depth of the childcare crisis in East Tennessee—and the toll it takes on parents.

So, while working full-time jobs –Eboni in corporate law, and Frank in talent acquisition– the two decided to open a business together called Kids Cove.

“It was a vision to give parents something we desperately needed but couldn’t find,” Eboni said. “Time back in their hands.”

Filling a Gap for Families

Childcare challenges in East Tennessee come in many forms.

The first is long waiting lists, often requiring costly, non-refundable deposits just to join without any guarantee of admission.

“There was one daycare center that we put our son on the list for, and we didn’t hear back until two years later,” Eboni said.

The second is limited hours. Most centers close by 6 p.m. and do not offer weekend care, leaving parents who work non-traditional schedules with few options.

Kids Cove was designed to bridge both of those gaps. The center is open seven days a week, including evenings.

“We want to give that flexibility back to parents,” Frank said.

Eboni added, “Yes—we want to give parents back their date nights, and mamas back their girl-time with friends. We want parents to be able to run errands child-free, or go to a concert and know their child is in good hands.”

Frank also noted the center helps stay-at-home parents prepare their children for kindergarten. 

“It’s a safe transition space that allows them to interact with other kids in a semi-structured environment before diving into a full seven-hour day,” he said.

To meet demand, Kids Cove has built a team of 17 employees, half of whom are moms, who serve more than 1,000 registered children.

“Before we opened, Eboni and I worried we wouldn’t have enough kids to support our staff,” Frank said. “But we have never had an empty day in our entire two years of operation. Not one.”

Innovating in the Childcare Sector

Drop-in childcare is relatively new in Tennessee and doesn’t fit neatly into existing state definitions of daycare or childcare centers. That means the couple has had to navigate regulatory gray areas while also raising awareness about the role drop-in centers play.

Eboni’s legal training has been an asset as the couple works through compliance and advocacy. 

Kids Cove must meet the same safety standards as traditional childcare centers, but is limited to serving children for no more than 20 hours per week, or seven hours per day.

The model also presents unique challenges. Because children may come once or sporadically, staff can’t rely on the familiarity built in a traditional daycare. To ensure every child feels comfortable, the Jameses maintain a digital onboarding app that allows parents to share important details like routines, preferences, comfort items, or allergies before drop-off.

The platform also helps Kids Cove track attendance patterns, align staffing with local events, and collect data to improve operations.

“We have learned a lot over the past two years and now have a very advanced scheduling system,” Eboni said. “We take into account large community events like football games, concerts, holidays, and the school calendar—all of these things affect our attendance and how we plan to staff Kids Cove for the day.”

Looking Ahead

The past two years have been full of successes. Most recently, Eboni was named to Knoxville’s 40 Under 40 list for 2025, in part because Kids Cove has become such a trusted resource for families across Knoxville.

For now, the couple is focused on refining operations at their West Knoxville location. But within five years, they hope to explore a franchise model.

“The most important part is the quality and consistency,” Eboni said. “We want it to be a great experience for parents and their children.”

Their long-term vision is to create a reliable, flexible childcare option that gives families in Knoxville, and eventually beyond, more control over their lives.

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