New child care center opening

As school and construction teams ready a new elementary school on West McKinney Butte Road, one teacher is transforming rooms in the old school building into a new school for very young children.

Soul Blossom Child Care Center (Soul Blossom CCC) will be located at 611 E. Cascade Ave. Director April Farmer, a teacher from Bend, saw a need in Sisters as an opportunity to manifest her dream.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for Sisters,” said Farmer. “When I was a kid, I remember my mom taking me to the quilting festival. The area is beautiful.”

Another impetus was the closing of Mountain Montessori.

“Thinking about my experience, and how important it was for me to have child care to be able to work, I thought, ‘This is important. Someone needs to do something,’” Farmer said.

She created a Waldorf-inspired curriculum, secured a $300,000 NeighborImpact Child Care Expansion Grant, and negotiated a lease with building owner Sisters School District. Between remodeling, hiring teachers, and meeting prospective families, Farmer gave The Nugget a tour.

“This is going to be a child scare hall for young children. On the left is the Sisters Parks and Rec preschool program. I don’t compete with their program; I only offer (ages) 0-to-3, because currently no one offers 0-to-3 care,” Farmer explained.

Her center will have infant rooms, an infant feeding room, toddler rooms, teacher workrooms, and spaces for parent meetings, child development classes, and caregiver support groups.

“The idea is offering wraparound care for parents, because being a caregiver can be so challenging.”

Eugenia Grimalt, a pediatric physical therapist currently with Treehouse Therapies, is on board.

“She trains my staff, gives them consultations, and also will offer child development classes to parents, which is cool because over half the parents so far are interested,” Farmer said.

Waldorf-certified early childhood educator Cecelia McClellan will train a dozen teachers.

Farmer, a biologist and science teacher skilled in Next Generation Science Standards, will teach basic science applicable to very young minds.

“I’ve noticed in classrooms that the scientific thinking that you want a child to have, we’re developing it in middle school or in high school. It needs to start when they’re beginning.”

Toys and play provide experiential learning in math and literacy. Kids will also enjoy outdoor play and grow food in a garden and greenhouse with help from local organic farm Seed to Table.

“We’re going to grow herbs and potatoes and carrots. We make fresh food on-site. We will make soups and also make bread each week. The children, from a very young age, can harvest and learn about all the different herbs and smell them in the mornings,” Farmer said.

Enrollment fees range from $960 to $1920 per month, depending on age and schedule.

“We have five full-time toddler slots available and one part-time and two full-time infant slots,” Farmer said.

“Our rates are high due to our commitment to high-quality programming. By offering competitive pay and benefits packages, we are able to recruit high-quality applicants,” Farmer explained.

The center opens Sept-ember 3, same as the new elementary school, and aims to serve 32 newborn-to-3-year-olds, plus summer and after-school programs for 30 elementary students.

Soul Blossom CCC is hosting an open house on August 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Farmer says all prospective families are welcome to attend or email [email protected].