As you may have heard, the University of St. Thomas has made the decision to close the Child Development Center . The last day for the current group of families, student workers and teachers — some of whom have dedicated their lives to serving children and have been with us for decades — will be June 7, 2019. But there’s hope that the legacy of the Child Development Center will continue.

 With your support we can launch a new center that will be a model for child development programs nationwide — a place that will put children, and a holistic approach to learning, at its core.  A place that will stand out in its approach, environment, and commitment to highly trained and dedicated staff.

 The mission of the new center — tentatively called “Wonders of Childhood” — is two-fold.  First, to be a leader in providing high quality, innovative and developmentally focused early education for the whole child. Second, to have a lasting impact on early education by drawing new people into the field with high caliber training and mentorship.  We know there’s significant demand for this type of program. Since our current center for child development opened over 20 years ago, it has always been at full enrollment with a waiting list that has never dropped below 125 families.  

 A dedicated group of parents and staff are working diligently behind the scenes to bring this dream of a new child development center to reality. We have parent-led teams finalizing a comprehensive business plan, exploring relocation options, handling legal issues and assisting with fundraising.

To move to a new location and make the new center a reality, we need to raise $500,000 by March 31, 2019. While this may sound daunting, we already have families and others stepping up with significant donations.  We're asking for your support if you believe the mission of the child development center needs to continue. As an added bonus, donations are tax-deductible.

The funds raised will be used to: make the physical move from our current location to another one; Complete any renovations in the new space that are required for our operating license; Cover staffing costs to set-up in the new location; and cover start-up costs with outside vendors such as food service, custodial service and accounting services.

At a time when so many institutions and organizations are reckoning with how to best serve  small children and their families, the center we’ve built is — and will continue to be — a shining example of how we can nurture and support the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community.

I know that many of your experiences at the Child Development Center have been life-changing for you and your family. If you want to see this tradition of excellence in caregiving and child development continue into the future, please support our ambitious plans for a new center.

Here's one testimonial about the importance of the center…
 “This place. This home away from home. This loving environment. This child-led education. This respectful experience. This calm and safe place. This inclusive facility. This group of educators. This family. These families. There is nothing like it. I have been in education for almost 20 years. I have never experienced the genuine compassion for both young children and young adults like this. I am talking about both the children under five who are part of the center and the UST students who made life choices within these walls. These life moments were made with the guidance of the center staff who helped them with a sincere interest in everyone’s success — the young and old alike. My heart breaks knowing this could end. It is more than childcare. It is a lifestyle that all who enter believe in.”

Note: Some of you may be wondering, what will happen to your donation if the new center doesn’t reach its fundraising goals? Rest assured, we’re doing everything in our power to reach this goal, if we're unable to raise enough dollars from a variety of funding sources to open and new center by the end of 2019, we'll reimburse your donation minus any processing fees. Funds raised will be directly transfered to the Wonders of Childhood bank account when we reach our goal. 

Note about the fundraiser: My daughter currently attends St. Thomas' CDC and I created this fundraiser on behalf and with  approval from the future staff and the current board of the Wonders of Childhood center.

If you have any questions about the new center or donating, please contact Becca Swiler at [email redacted].