It’s that time of year when kids need a good haircut to carry them through a summer outdoor activities. Toddlers might be ready for their first haircut. Pre-teen girls may need an up-do for a wedding. Boys might want a cool, spiky look.

At Kingston Kids Salon, Jovita Lachelt provides haircuts and styling services exclusively for children in her kid-friendly salon. She welcomes special-needs children too.

“They’re my little clients; they’re important,” Lachelt said. “It’s all about them.”

Preschoolers coming in for a haircut can have a cracker then settle into either a blue race car or pink Barbie sports car and get their haircut while looking through toys in a plastic crate. Afterwards, they’re rewarded with a free age-appropriate goody bag. There’s a regular stylist chair for older kids.

Lachelt, a certified stylist, makes the experience of getting a haircut a good one for the kids and their parents.

She found there was a need for children’s stylists both here and in Minnesota, where she moved from five years ago with her husband, Todd, daughter Alyssa, 15, and son Kyle, 12. She’s cut kids’ hair professionally for over 14 years.

“A lot of stylists don’t want to do kids. They don’t have the patience,” Lachelt said. “I loved it and felt the need to just get in there and do it.”

Lachelt has run the salon out of her Kingston home in a designated room for about 18 months. This has allowed her to work and still be home to take care of her own kids. She’s also serves as quartermaster of the Kingston Yacht Club, preparing it for rentals.

Kingston Kids Salon is a chemical-free zone, which means she doesn’t give permanents or color hair so young children aren’t exposed to fumes. She does have gels and conditioners to use for styling.

For a baby’s first haircut, Lachelt provides a lock of their hair in a special card with a certificate and photo of the momentous occasion.

She fills out an index card for each of her young clients with the date of the cut and style so that she and parents can reference it for future haircuts

Prices are $14 for a shampoo, haircut and blow dry; $14 for hairstyles and up-dos. She also has a chlorine and dry hair conditioning treatment for $6. Follow-up bang trims and clean-ups with trimmers along the neckline are complimentary. Gift certificates are available that can also be used as donations to fund-raisers.

To make an appointment with Kingston Kids Salon, call Jovita Lachelt at (360) 297-2210.