Keisha Archer poured her heart into building her child care business, Starr Kidz Academy. She grew the business to two Georgia locations and feels immensely proud. Sadly, someone came along and changed that forever. Ring camera footage from Starr Kidz Academy 2 shows a man breaking into the building on October 20, 2025, and setting it on fire. The alleged arsonist poured liquid on Archer’s hopes and dreams before burning them to the ground.
Archer told Atlanta News First that Starr Kidz Academy 2 was supposed to open in Rockdale County in just a few days, but someone decided to ruin that. Archer said watching the surveillance footage crushed her.
“I just saw the gentleman putting the gasoline down and setting the building on fire,” Archer told the outlet. “And I’m just trying to stay upbeat to keep from going crazy right now.”
Firefighters stayed at the scene until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Archer said she’s trying to figure out where to go from here. She’s still unsure how much damage the fire did to her business.
“We are a small Black owned business. This is money funded out of our hard work and out of our pocket,” Archer said. “This money is not given to us. This is not a Fortune 500 company. We work hard.”
A devastated Archer told WSB-TV that this is the second time the business has been vandalized this year. In February, someone reportedly broke in and destroyed the toilets, flooding the building. She was ready to reopen after the renovation and interview employees for the day care when the fire occurred.
“According to the video footage, they took some kind of metal piece, and they broke through the window, the back window. They unlocked the door, and they came through with gasoline and went from the end of the hallway to the top of the hallway and lit the building on fire from the outside,” Archer explained.
She told WSB-TV she’s working with police and the fire department to find the person responsible for the fire. She plans to offer a reward for information.
“And I’m praying that this person is caught,” she said.
Many people shared support for Archer on Starr Kidz Academy’s Instagram page.
“I’m sooo sorry this is happening to you. This means you’re super close to your winning season. Praying for one hell of a bounce back,” someone wrote.
“Lord cover Ms Starr n her team What the enemy meant for evil, God will turn for good. I’m praying divine restoration, supernatural favor, and protection over every part of your vision,” another person prayed.
Archer asked anyone with information to please contact the authorities.
“Please Share and tag we are looking for the person that torched our building! They will be found there is a $10,000 reward!!! Call and report to 1-800-282-5804,” she wrote in her post.
