IWF extends a special thank you to our 2023 Grant Partner, Sprouts Early Learning Academy, not only for guest writing this blog but for seeing an opportunity to better serve more families in your community and taking action to turn your vision into a reality. Child care is an essential need in every community, and Sprouts is doing what is needed to meet that need.
Sprouts Early Learning Academy is a licensed child care center located in Carlisle, Iowa, that provides educational programming for students ages 2–5 years. The center offers a friendly learning environment by offering loving staff members, age-appropriate classroom materials, and engaging activities that encourage growth in the areas of social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The programs are intended to promote a life-long love of learning for students through hands-on experiences and activities.
Sprouts Early Learning Academy is a licensed child care center located in Carlisle, Iowa, that provides educational programming for students ages 2–5 years. The center offers a friendly learning environment by offering loving staff members, age-appropriate classroom materials, and engaging activities that encourage growth in the areas of social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The programs are intended to promote a life-long love of learning for students through hands-on experiences and activities.
When Sprouts opened its doors in 2021, it offered full-time, preschool-only, and after-school options to families in the Carlisle community. Sprouts quickly became known for care and dedication to providing early childhood education, and soon the demand for spaces outweighed the availability. The owner and director, Paige Smothers, quickly realized that there was a huge need for additional spaces and decided to combine two programs into one classroom. Since the programs met at separate times, they could easily utilize one classroom, which freed up an entire classroom to allow for more students.
This new classroom filled up almost overnight, which meant that Sprouts desperately needed additional classroom materials and furnishings to accommodate the new students—so the center turned to IWF to apply for a grant.
In January of 2023, Sprouts received a Child Care Solutions Fund grant for $10,000, which helped provide high-quality, age-appropriate learning materials and furnishings to each classroom. This includes cots, light tables, magnetic toys, art supplies, and outdoor play equipment. The expansion also led to the hiring of three additional full-time employees and two part-time employees.
Through this opportunity, Sprouts was able to provide full-time job security for one woman and provide two younger female staff members with an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the child care industry to prepare them for future aspirations in the education and medical fields. The center was also able to serve more families and accommodate an additional 12 students in the new classroom, as well as several more who were added to the existing classrooms once there were enough furnishings and educational materials to meet their needs
Sprouts Early Learning Academy is incredibly grateful for the grant opportunity through the Iowa Women’s Foundation. This seemingly small classroom expansion project has created a ripple effect that will positively impact the Carlisle community and surrounding area for years to come. Thank you, IWF, for helping our team at Sprouts as we continue to offer a perfect place for kids to grow!
