Grand Opening celebrates new Early Learning Center on St. Paul's East Side

A new early learning center will open in September on St. Paul’s East Side that will offer an extra measure of support to parents and additional care and attention in the classroom to empower children to be successful in the learning and social environment of a school. 
          
The Early Learning Center—East Side, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, will serve children between the ages of two and five from all ethnic, cultural and faith backgrounds and make affordable child care more accessible.  The center will also be open weekdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of working parents. 

Located at Grace Lutheran Church at 1730 Old Hudson Road in Saint Paul, the new center is modeled after the organization’s flagship location in St. Paul’s Frogtown area. Like the Frogtown location, the East Side site will offer high quality education, higher teacher to student ratios and supportive services to families. Scholarship assistance is also available for families who are eligible, along with affordable child care. 

“We are thrilled to be expanding our preschool and making supportive services available to children and families on the East Side,” said Alexis Oberdorfer, senior vice president of Services for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. “Our approach is two-generational by working with both children and supporting their parents because we know that providing service to both promotes long-lasting success for children and child well-being. This is a great opportunity to invest in the community and see those children and families thrive into the future.” 

The early learning center will offer three classrooms and will provide an individualized learning plan for each child and reduced student-teacher ratios; in most preschools and childcare centers, that ratio is closer to 10-to-one. In addition to academics, children will have access to occupational therapy services, learn social and emotional skills and self-regulation to equip them to be ready to learn. For families, LSS team members will be a trusted resource to help them access other services, such as employment support, mental health, financial counseling or help with housing.

Construction for the new preschool was made possible through a $1 million gift via The Planting Hope Campaign by the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and generous donors. 

"One of the goals of our campaign was to invest in a transformative project on the East Side of St. Paul," said Bishop Patricia Lull from the Saint Paul Area Synod. "We are so pleased that our partnership with LSS is bringing this important resource to the community."           

An August 14 grand opening celebration is being held for supporters who helped make the initiative possible. “What draws me to programs like these is their ability to impact the future,” explained Craig Gray, a generous supporter of the new early learning center. “For me, I can’t think of a better way to support programs that drive education, meet people where they are and make lasting, sustainable change.”

For parents who are interested in learning more about the Early Learning Center-East Side and enrollment process, please visit lssmn.org/earlylearningcenter.