New Childcare Center

Childcare Expansion In Thief River Falls, Minnesota

Discovery Place, a non-profit childcare center in Thief River Falls, announced a partnership with Valley Assisted Living to establish a new childcare facility within a 17,728 square foot wing of the Valley Home Assisted Living building located at 623 South Highway 32 in Thief River Falls with space for 156 children and varying hours of operation.

According to the Advance Thief River Childcare Collaborative taskforce with data from First Children’s Finance, Thief River Falls is currently short 300 daycare spots.

Valley Assisted Living

The Valley Assisted Living community has provided services to the Thief River Falls area for over six decades and is excited to expand the use of the building to include child care, along with continuing to support the area’s senior population. Valley Assisted Living will be leasing a wing of the facility to Discovery Place to operate the childcare center, expanding their current operation on Nora Street in Thief River Falls. The Discovery Place Early Learning Center is a Parent Aware Rated, non-profit childcare center that has been operating since 1971.

Alleviating Childcare Challenges

“We hope adding a new childcare center will alleviate childcare challenges faced by working parents and provide a supportive, nurturing environment for their children,” said Chelsea Moeller, director at Discovery Place.

Plans are still being finalized, but the partners hope to have the new childcare center licensed and open by late 2024.

Intergenerational Benefits

“We are thrilled for the opportunity for our residents to experience the intergenerational benefits of having children in our facility,” said Jessica Corneillie, administrator at Valley Assisted Living. “The residents and children will have separated spaces, but there are opportunities for collaborating with reading programs, music programs, etc. Studies show that connections between children and seniors are a true ‘win-win.’ We look forward to this collaboration and the benefits to both the Valley Assisted Living community and the Thief River Falls community.”

DigiKey to be Corporate Sponsor

DigiKey, a cutting-edge commerce distributor of electronic components and automation products, will be a corporate sponsor of the project, assisting with the building renovation starting in spring 2024. There will be additional corporate sponsorships available throughout the project.

“We’re excited to collaborate with both Discovery Place and Valley Assisted Living to create an innovative solution to providing desperately needed childcare. With the addition of the new childcare center, we are not just filling the need for childcare, but also fostering a brighter future for families in our community,” said Mark Borseth, director, corporate facilities at DigiKey.