A Community Need.
We all know that the past year and a half has created significant challenges for child care as well as child care providers. In rural communities especially, the ebb and flow of our local economy greatly influence the sustainability of our child care supply and vice versa. While rural communities face many challenges surrounding child care we have come to learn that our rural communities are also very strong.
The vibrancy and economic growth of our communities are somewhat dependent on the availability of childcare within the region. If employees can’t find quality child care they likely will not move to our community and fill jobs, or they may be forced to stay at home to care for their children and remain out of the workforce. We believe, and the data supports that, this is our reality here in Blooming Prairie and in our surrounding communities.
According to information collected by the Minnesota Childcare Association, the availability of child care supports the current economy and helps the future prosperity of Minnesota. Licensed child care contributes to our economy by supporting working families today so they can join and stay in Minnesota’s workforce while preparing the workforce of tomorrow.
- An investment in quality early care and education for children before they reach Kindergarten has the highest possible return on investment for our state. Well-focused investments in early childhood development yield high public returns, as much as $16 to $1 according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
- Up to 90% of brain development happens before age 5, making the early years the most important time to invest in quality education.
- Research shows that every year approximately 15,400 low-income children arrive at kindergarten not fully prepared to succeed, costing Minnesota $56,000 over the lifetime of each unprepared child and approximately $860 million for every year this trend continues.
The Leo Augusta Children’s Academy was created to support children, parents, and the community in providing child care for our youngest citizens. We believe that we can invest now in our children, families, and communities and enjoy long-term savings, with a nation of healthy, achieving children which will create more stable families. Or, we can fail to make the investment and pay the price: increased delinquency, greater educational failures, lowered productivity, less economic competitiveness, and fewer adults prepared to be effective, loving parents to the next generation of children. We look forward to supporting our area families in the investment of providing quality childcare to families in Blooming Prairie and our surrounding communities. Stay tuned!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The mission of the Leo Augusta Children’s Academy is to deliver a hands-on model of child development with the capacity to serve over 100 children, ages infant through 12 years of age.
Under a structured curriculum, coupled with flexibility, our philosophy of learning and care will focus on emotional intellectual, physical, and social development in a nurturing, caring, and secure environment.
For updates on progress and development follow the LACA Facebook page.