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Our Story: Our story begins in 2012. Angela Kapp was managing a Head Start center on the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps campus when she learned Head Start would be closing the program. Angela submitted a proposal to Job Corps to open the center as her own. The proposal was accepted and Arona Child Development Center opened their doors in October of 2012 under the umbrella of Midwest Child Development. In the spring of 2016 new management took over daily operations of the Job Corps program and they made the decision to use the space for other purposes and so on July 1, 2016 Arona Child Development Center moved to the Hamline Church at 1514 Englewood Ave. and became the Hamline Child Development Center. To accommodate our families with infants, Midwest Child Development opened a second location, Como Lake Child Development Center, at the Bethel Lutheran Church in April 2017. In June 2018 we changed the name of our centers to The Learning Garden! Our newest location in Maplewood opened in July 2021.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Learning Garden offers a quality education program and full-day child care. Our program is designed to meet the needs of our families by providing a safe, nurturing, educational environment for children ages 6 weeks to kindergarten entry. We believe that parents are a child’s first teacher so our unique partnership with parents provides support, resources and information about child development and involves the parents in goal setting for their child. Children at The Learning Garden receive all the food necessary to meet USDA nutrition requirements, including cereal, jar food and formula as needed for infants. Meals are prepared fresh daily and children and teachers eat together family-style. Infants and Toddlers are provided with diapers and wipes. Sunscreen, nap blankets and all curriculum and field trips are also included in the tuition. We use a research-based curriculum and believe that children learn best when engaged in hands-on, interactive activities that address all of their senses. We take advantage of local parks in the neighborhood. We hold quarterly family events and invite special guests to visit from the community such as storytellers or the local fire or police department. Our highly trained teachers hold various degrees in education and receive on-going professional development and training on current topics in the field of early childhood education. Our secure, warm and inviting center allows for small class sizes and low child-to-teacher ratios. Our small size allows families and teachers to develop trusting relationships with each other, creating a unique and special sense of family. |
Hours of Operation and Holidays: Each Learning Garden Center is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 12 months a year.
The Learning Garden is closed for the following holidays and Staff Professional Development Days in 2021-2022:
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