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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

New childcare center raising scholarship funds

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 11/15/17

TOWER— The non-profit Tower-Soudan Community Development Corporation is in the midst of a fundraising effort to establish a scholarship fund to help families pay a portion of the cost of tuition at …

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New childcare center raising scholarship funds

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TOWER— The non-profit Tower-Soudan Community Development Corporation is in the midst of a fundraising effort to establish a scholarship fund to help families pay a portion of the cost of tuition at the Little Eagles Childcare Center. Childcare affordability is a major issue for working families, particularly for those seeking to provide their children with high quality care.

The Little Eagles Childcare Center, which recently opened in the Tower Elementary, is a state-licensed childcare center with highly-trained staff and a curriculum focused on learning through creative play. The center provides meals from the school and offers a safe and wholesome environment for children.

The scholarship fundraising effort includes an online donations page at gofundme.com (search for Little Eagles Childcare) and the center is encouraging those who can afford to make a donation to do so. So far, the effort has raised over $700 towards a goal of $4,000. For those who don’t wish to donate online, checks can be dropped at the Timberjay office in Tower. Checks should be made out to the Tower-Soudan Community Development Corporation, which is a 501c3 nonprofit.

“It’s that time of year when many of us contribute to worthy causes and this is a good one that helps keep your donations in the community, serving families that we know,” said Troy Swanson, Little Eagles board chair.

The scholarship fund will provide a temporary bridge for families in the area. The Little Eagles Center will qualify for other scholarship funding, but only after being open for six months. So the funds raised for the scholarship will provide financial help on a sliding scale for area families until other scholarship funds become available.

“As we’ve learned, starting a childcare center is challenging from the licensing perspective, but the financial challenges are even more daunting, especially in small communities,” said Swanson. “New enrollments often start slowly as parents struggle with the cost of paying for licensed care so they can work or attend school, and that’s where a scholarship comes in,” said Swanson. “It helps families and it helps ensure that the center remains financially viable.”

The center is accepting children ages 31 months of age through the start of Kindergarten and has full and part-time openings as well as drop-in care. Parents are urged to register in advance even if they’re only interested in occasional drop-in services. For more information, you can check out the center’s website at www.littleeagleschildcare.com or visit them on Facebook. You can contact Center Director Amy Richter at 218-410-7077.