In light of the Minnesota Twins start to the season earlier this spring and the opening of its Early Childhood wing at its elementary school last fall, the Kimball Area Early Childhood program is gearing a promotion around baseball/softball. It developed a slogan nearly identical to a line used in the famous baseball movie, Field of Dreams. The line in the movie goes, “If you build it, he will come.”
The Kimball Area Early Childhood program’s slogan is, “If you build it, they will come.”
New Early Childhood Wing
Thanks to a passed referendum, construction began in the fall of 2023 on the Kimball Area Early Childhood wing. Its staff moved things in Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, 2024, and the wing officially opened on Sept. 3 of that same year.
This new wing offers four classrooms with new early childhood furniture, an “extra wide” hallway for gross motor play, a sensory and motor wall, a “large” lobby area, and a full storm shelter, one able to withstand an EF5 tornado, providing safety to all elementary students.
Early Childhood Enjoyment
Felicia Mills returned as the Early Childhood Coordinator in August 2024, having previously served within this role in Kimball from August 2014 to June 2017. For Mills, it’s not the job or the place she does it in that makes it special.
“It is the people, the colleagues, the parents, the children, the families, and the community [that make it special],” Mills said via email. “The new wing is a testament to the community of Kimball and their commitment to the littlest people.”
Teaching parent education, she also loves working with families to help them reach their goals, whatever those may be. Connecting with all of them–parents and children–adds to it.
“I love connecting families with other families in similar life stages and helping to pass on knowledge and wisdom, and support families where they are at,” Mills said via email. “Getting hugs from the kids and getting to know and play with them is also a highlight.”
Unique Occurrence
Working off that Minnesota Twins theme, the Early Childhood wing features something unique. Highlighting how Kimball is a small town, Mills said the program has seven sets of twins in the birth to five population and one set of triplets.
Of this group, four sets of twins are in the preschool program, three sets of twins have been screened this year, and the triplets are in the Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program.
Referendum
Mills thanked the community for the passed referendum and encouraged people to reach out to her to set up a tour to come see it.
“Thank you for prioritizing our families and young people,” Mills said via email. “Thank you for seeing the value in providing a space specialized for them.”
Class Registration
Mills highlighted how classes are filling up “very fast.” Its all-day classes are already full. The program does have openings in its four-year-old class that runs from Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. and its three-year-old class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 10:45 a.m.
Notably, for children to be in the three-year-old class, they need to be three by Sept. 1, 2025 and mostly potty trained. For children to be in the four-year-old class, they must be four, also by Sept. 1, 2025.
Enrichment Program openings are also available for all days.
“[The Enrichment Program] allows preschoolers to come to school on days or times when they are not in their normal preschool classroom,” Mills said via email, “to still receive care and quality education that supports and enriches their preschool experience.”
The ECFE program takes place one evening a week, a time for parents to come with their children, ages birth to five. The program also offers home visits for any individuals looking to have one-on-one visits with a parent educator for education, support, or ideas on parenting or child development.
Mills again highlighted how class spaces will fill up quickly and encouraged those who are interested to fill out the registration form online on the school’s web page (www.kimball.k12.mn.us/o/District/page/early-childhood-family-education).
By Ryan Bergeron, TCN Managing Editor
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