School, city, county leaders to discuss proposal this Wednesday at MAHS 

A partnership between Minnewaska Area Schools and Kingdom Kids Child Care Center could be a solution to address the future of Kingdom Kids and enhance preschool options for area families, it was announced last week.

The partnership could expand preschool options and daycare programming at Minnewaska Elementary School in Glenwood and the Starbuck School Campus, it was stated in a letter by MAS Superintendent Chip Rankin.  The letter was sent to area city and county officials and a MAS board meeting to discuss the partnership and “next steps” has been set for 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday at the MAHS Media Center.  Rankin said the school board and administration thought it “would be best to have a joint meeting bringing city, county and school leaders together to ensure our efforts are synchronized.”

In Glenwood, the plan would involve building a private facility that Kingdom Kids would rent and operate, and MAS would lease to expand preschool programs.  The goal is space for 200 children, with Kingdom Kids focusing on birth to 3 years and MAS on ages 4-5, Rankin explained in the letter.

“In Starbuck, an invitation has been extended to Glacial Hills Elementary School to become part of the district and switch locations with WIN Academy,” Rankin stated.  Roughly 100 Glacial Hills students and 13 staff would move to the Starbuck Campus, with daycare provided by Kingdom Kids and MAS providing expanded preschool programming. With roughly 43 students and 45 staff, WIN Academy would move to the Glacial Hills Campus and continue to provide programming. “A realignment of building space and programming could be fairly cheap while yielding a significant program improvement,” Rankin explained.

“We have the square footage within Pope County to help our young families thrive. Through partnerships; MAS, Kingdom Kids, and Glacial Hills, we could realign resources to serve our beloved communities best. It’s time to come together to have a comprehensive solution,” Rankin stated.

In a letter to parents from Kylie Baldwin, Executive Director of Kingdom Kids, she said that with many parts still needing to be worked out, she could announce that Kingdom Kids Child Care will not be closing in June.”

She talked about partnering with Minnewaska Area Schools to offer high-quality childcare in Pope County for ages 0-12 years old.  

“I can announce that we will be re-branding our center,” she stated in the letter.  “We will be changing our name to Lakes Area Enrichment Center later this spring/early summer.  The change will allow us to apply for more grants and build a better, stronger relationship with everyone in our community.”

Currently, Kingdom Kids operates out of a building that has been leased (for $1/month) from the Klick Foundation for the past 10 years.  That building, located east of Highway 55 in Glenwood, was sold recently to Calvary Lutheran Church.  The church plans to take over the building in June of 2023 and Kingdom Kids Child Care Center has been exploring building or moving to a renovated building.

Kingdom Kids was soliciting funding to help build a new facility in Glenwood before the school partnership was announced.