New program to begin June 2 at the church

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Trinity Lutheran Preschool in New York Mills has expanded exponentially over the past few years, adding staff members, student numbers, and classroom times to their regular offerings. With summer just around the corner, another program has been added for summer, childcare which will begin on June 2.

To create more space for the upcoming summer program and especially for the growing preschool program, three Sunday school rooms were remodeled into one large preschool classroom recently and bathrooms were updated. This doubled the preschool’s enrollment capacity from 20 to 40 students per day.

“We started the summer program, because some of the kids that come here now go to a daycare that is closing,” said director Bev Witt. “They had no place to have their kids go, so I pushed for it and asked if we could try it. These parents really need the care and we have 14 kids enrolled so far for the summer.”

“We still have some applications that are coming in,” she continued, “So we’re pleased.”

The summer program is open for registration and will serve children 33 months to five years old between June 2 and August 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Additionally, both Witt and teacher Harley Wurst will receive their Star Ratings from Parents Aware, an initiative that assures quality child care throughout the state of Minnesota. While they are still waiting for the official certification to come in, Witt was told that they received a four-star Star Rating, the highest rating that Parent Aware issues.

“It’s the highest rating you can get,” said Witt. “We were very blessed. It’s a lot of work that you have to do and we both had to have 50 hours of training for their requirements. Then we looked around the classroom and outside and made a list of the different things that we needed and they give us a sort-of grant that will help us purchase those items that we were looking at.”

Along with a whole lot of paperwork, the Parent Aware requirements include two coaches for their 50 hours of training. Now that the Star Ratings are being awarded, Witt and Wurst will have to be re-certified every two years, but that process will be much easier in the future. Witt is excited to see her team continue to grow and provide excellent childcare.

As the program continues to expand, the preschool’s staff of four are looking forward to seeing enrollment increase as it has in the past. Current enrollment sits at 30 students on a flexible schedule, meaning there is space for many more students in the fall. Summer registration also has space available for a number of children, something that Witt is excited to see filled.

“I hope to see it keep growing,” she said. “We know there is a need out there right now and we have a lot of fun activities that we are going to do this summer with the kids, so we are super excited. We will do some science experiments, different outdoor activities that we have planned, it’s going to be a lot of fun—a lot of learning, a lot of play, and a lot of fun.”

Morning and afternoon snacks will be available for children as well as lunches from the NY Mills School during the summer. Those interested in registering their child at Trinity Lutheran Preschool can call or text Witt at (218) 579-0845.