 Appleseed Childhood Education is proud to announce that our new center has a name – Appletree.
Appletree is the vibrant, hopeful thing that has grown from small but determined Appleseed. We want Appletree to be a sheltering, nurturing place where parents feel secure bringing their children and where children are both safely rooted and free to explore and grow. We hope Appletree will become a source of community pride and wellbeing – a living, breathing reason to be optimistic about the future. Appletree’s Mission The mission of Appletree is to provide consistent, high-quality child care and early childhood education. We want all children in our area to have the chance to grow and learn in a nurturing environment and all parents to have the child care help they need so their families can thrive. While Appletree is owned by the non-profit organization Appleseed Childhood Education, these partners make the center possible:
Stay up to date with our project updates as our center plans to be open early 2023, following the completion of construction.
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 Where is Appleseed’s new early learning and child care center?The new center will be at 1102 E. Grace Street – right next door to the Franciscan Health Rensselaer hospital and just behind the physical therapy services building. Our design and renovation team is working hard to transform the space into a happy, nurturing place for our kids to learn and grow. Who will operate the center?Right Steps a not-for-profit organization based in Lafayette, will manage the day-to-day operations of the center. This includes enrollment of families, hiring and management of teachers and staff, and all administrative paperwork. Right Steps is an expert in the field of early childhood education, and they have been serving kids, families, and child care providers for more than 50 years. Right Steps operates five centers in the Lafayette area, a center in Goodland and the Growing Patch Learning Center in Remington. Who can go to the new center?The new center will welcome children from 6 weeks old through five years old. (Some of our kids will turn six while they attend preschool at the center – that’s ok!) We will have designated rooms for infants, younger toddlers, older toddlers, younger preschoolers, and older preschoolers. There will be about 70 total seats available. Click here to join the waitlist for enrollment. When will the center open?[Updated in September 2022] The center is on track to open in early 2023, following completion of the building renovations. Check the Appleseed Childhood Education Facebook page for updates on our progress, including job opportunities, enrollment information, and special sneak peeks of the inside of the new center. What are the center’s hours of operation?The center will be open Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am - 6:00 pm Central time, 52 weeks a year. How do I reserve a spot for my child?[Updated in May 2022] If you're thinking about enrolling your child when the center opens, fill out this Family Registration form on the Right Steps website. This tells Appleseed & Right Steps that you're interested in the center's services for your family. We'll provide more details about the enrollment process as we get closer to the center's opening. Will the center be affordable for my family?Every family who attends our center will receive a discount off the full cost of care. We encourage all families to contact the center for accurate information about cost and financial assistance once enrollment begins. Appleseed has and will continue to raise funds in order to make high-quality care and early education more affordable for families. If you are interested in making a donation that will directly help families with child care costs, contact us. Will the center accept state vouchers?Yes. We encourage families who plan to use vouchers to contact the center once enrollment opens. How can I find out more about the new center? Can I take a tour?When the new center is ready for visitors, we will welcome families and community members to come see the space. (We can hardly wait for that day!) Until then, check out the other Right Steps centers to get a feel for what the new center in Rensselaer will offer. How can I apply to work at the new center?Please visit Right Steps’ careers website [https://rightstepscdc.org/careers/] to see all open positions and how to apply. Positions for the Rensselaer location will be added soon. How can I help support the center?You can make a tax-deductible charitable donation to Appleseed Childhood Education in two ways:
Are you accepting non-monetary donations? We are not accepting non-monetary donations at this time [September 2022]. However, we may ask for certain items in the future. We will post those items here and on the Appleseed Childhood Education Facebook page. We may post volunteer opportunities, as well. Until then, please know that every time you share our social media posts, leave a supportive comment, or tell someone about the new early learning center, you are helping us fulfill our mission. We appreciate you. Have another question?Feel free to send us an additional question through our contact page if you didn't see the answer listed above. Thank you.
 Franciscan Health Rensselaer partners with local nonprofit to address rural child care shortage.
Rensselaer, IN - Franciscan Health Rensselaer has partnered with Appleseed Childhood Education to address the lack of quality child care options for families in Jasper County. To help meet the crucial community need for more child care seats, Franciscan Health is leasing a building on its Rensselaer hospital campus to Appleseed for the creation of a new high-quality licensed early learning center set to open later this year. Design work on the building at 1102 East Grace Street in Rensselaer is underway. When renovations are complete, the facility will meet state licensing requirements for providing daytime child care five days a week for around 70 children ages six weeks old through five years old. “Early child care is essential to our community, crucial to local workforce, and Franciscan Health Rensselaer is proud to partner with Appleseed Childhood Education to make this possible,” said Carlos Vasquez, vice president and chief operating officer at Franciscan Health Rensselaer. Adam Alson, president of Appleseed said, “Thanks to our new partner, Franciscan Health Rensselaer, our community is another very big step closer to having a financially sustainable high-quality licensed early childhood education center for our kids and families.” Jasper County-based nonprofit Appleseed Childhood Education was formed in January 2020 to address the lack of licensed early childhood education programs in the area. With only one licensed child care center in the county currently (Growing Patch Learning Center in Remington), the new center in Rensselaer will provide a full-time care option in the geographic center of the county. The new center will double the number of seats available for infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. The new center in Rensselaer will be operated by Right Steps Child Development Centers, a nonprofit organization based in Lafayette with over 50 years of experience serving families and providers in the area of nationally accredited early childhood development. Currently, Right Steps operates five centers in the Greater Lafayette area, one center in Goodland, and Growing Patch Learning Center in Remington. Debi Debruyn, Right Steps Child Development president and CEO said, “Right Steps is proud of the solid foundation we have established in Jasper County with the Growing Patch center. We are excited to expand this valuable partnership with Appleseed Childhood Education to manage the day-to-day operations of this new center and bring even more high-quality early childhood education to the area.” The partnership between Franciscan Health and Appleseed Childhood Education is the first of its kind in Rensselaer and part of a growing effort in the area to bring together community organizations and businesses to address local problems. The area’s community foundation, the Jasper Newton Foundation, connected Franciscan Health Rensselaer and Appleseed. Brienne Hooker, executive director of the Jasper Newton Foundation said, “This is the kind of transformative partnership that the Jasper Newton Foundation is looking to create–not only for quality child care and education, but for other real needs in our community. Franciscan Health Rensselaer stepped up in a way that honors their mission and honors our community. We can build the community we want to have if we can come together like this.” While inadequate child care infrastructure is a challenge for communities across Indiana, Appleseed views its partnership with Franciscan Health Rensselaer as a unique opportunity. “Lack of quality child care options, including care provided by a licensed center, is a problem for most rural communities,” Alson said. “Our community is fortunate to have a partner like Franciscan Health who recognizes our collective needs and is willing to engage in projects toward solving problems.” About Franciscan Health Rensselaer The Franciscan Alliance healthcare ministry began in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1875. Today, Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 12 hospital campuses, more than 19,000 employees and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Hospitals include: Franciscan Health Carmel; Franciscan Health Crawfordsville; Franciscan Health Crown Point; Franciscan Health Dyer; Franciscan Health Hammond; Franciscan Health Indianapolis; Franciscan Health Lafayette; Franciscan Health Michigan City; Franciscan Health Mooresville; Franciscan Health Munster; Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (IL); and Franciscan Health Rensselaer. About Appleseed Childhood Education Appleseed Childhood Education is a 501(c)3 non-for-profit corporation established to support the creation, facilitation, and enhancement of education opportunities for children in rural Jasper and surrounding counties. Learn more about the organization and their current projects on Facebook: @appleseedchildhoodeducation. About Right Steps Right Steps Child Development Centers is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide and advocate for quality early childhood education and care. They currently operate seven centers (five centers around the Greater Lafayette Area, one in Goodland, and one in Remington). The state licensed centers maintain national accreditation status from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Four of the Greater Lafayette locations are Level 4 certified in the Paths to QUALITY program, Indiana's voluntary quality rating system, making them the highest quality child development center option. The fifth, and newest Greater Lafayette Area center is working towards this as well. The other two centers in Goodland and Remington are currently Level 3 certified and are working towards Level 4 certification. Learn more at RightStepsCDC.org. About the Jasper Newton Foundation The Jasper Newton Foundation Inc. is a local nonprofit organization that connects residents of Jasper County and Newton County, Indiana, with causes they care about through coordinated investments and strategic grantmaking. It’s a way for local people to come together and solve local challenges facing Jasper and Newton Counties every day, leaving a long-term impact and legacy in the community. For more information, visit jaspernewtonfoundation.org.  For immediate release: Rensselaer, IN - Appleseed Childhood Education has received a $100,000 Closing the Gap grant from Early Learning Indiana to support the creation of a new early childhood education center in Rensselaer. “We are honored to receive this grant from Early Learning Indiana, and it brings Appleseed one large step closer to the realization of our first project: a high-quality early learning center in Rensselaer,” said Adam Alson, president of Appleseed Childhood Education. “We are grateful for the recognition from the largest private funder of early learning in Indiana and their belief in our vision.” With its $1.7 million Closing the Gap grant fund, Early Learning Indiana aims to address local child care access issues, increasing capacity and quality, and ensuring affordability and choice for families. “The challenge is great, but the opportunity to build a system of more equitable access for Hoosier children is even greater,” said Maureen Weber, president and CEO of Early Learning Indiana. “Our Closing the Gap grant recipients have put together collaborative solutions to solve some of the greatest barriers to access to high-quality early learning in their communities, and we are proud to help kick start their work.” Appleseed is one of eighteen grant recipients from across Indiana. With the grant funds, Appleseed will purchase equipment, educational materials, and furnishings for a new 70-seat early childhood education center for children ages five and younger in Rensselaer that will open in early 2022. The funding was made possible through a 2019 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Early Learning Indiana’s statewide work to improve accessibility to high-quality early learning programs in Indiana. ### About Appleseed Childhood Education Appleseed Childhood Education, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Rensselaer, Indiana, whose mission is to increase the availability of high-quality early childhood education opportunities in Jasper and surrounding counties. Formed in 2020, Appleseed focuses on creating and implementing strategies to address the challenges and opportunities related to creating financially sustainable early learning centers in our rural area. For more questions, please feel free to submit a contact form on our website and we will get back to you promptly. About Early Learning Indiana
Early Learning Indiana is Indiana’s oldest and largest early childhood education nonprofit, providing leadership, advocacy and early childhood education services to continually improve the early learning landscape in Indiana. Today, Early Learning Indiana operates 10 high-quality Day Early Learning centers, a network of premier community-based schools used to advance the science of early learning, train the next generation of teachers and leaders, and instill essential skills in the children we serve. Through regional and statewide programs, the organization enables early learning providers to build capacity, transform operations and improve learning outcomes. Learn more at EarlyLearningIn.org. Appleseed Childhood Education is featured on the podcast "Roots and Graffiti!" Join board members, Adam Alson and Megan Inskeep on local podcast Roots & Graffiti as they talk about early childhood education in Jasper County. This is a great episode and conversation you don't want to miss! https://lnkd.in/gFsFj-mq  Listen to Roots & Graffiti, a podcast about raw conversations happening NOW in Jasper County. Carlee Alson & Renee Overbeck are featured in this week's episode talking about the importance of early childhood education in Jasper County. ACE is happy to be a part of the conversation & addressing the need for an ECE center right here in Rensselaer. Listen on most podcast platforms or click the link to download and listen. https://lnkd.in/ggRq65fZ
 Lance Strange believes that everyone in Jasper County should have access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE). Read below how his experience with the closing of Jasper County Youth Center and the creation of Families of JCYC made it evident that an organization like Appleseed Childhood Education is something that our community needs. A note from an ECE advocate: Lance StrangeSeveral years ago, when my 3 children were attending the Jasper County Youth Center (JCYC) and it was announced that they would be closing the facility for operation, it would have been much easier to enroll our children across town at the other child care center operating in Rensselaer at the time. But what about the families that would not have been able to do the same because of full enrollment? They deserved the same high-quality care they had been receiving too. The only solution was to find a way to keep the center open and Families of JCYC was formed. We were told by more than I could count that there was no way we would be able to pull it off financially, let alone fast enough to not have a lapse in care for the children and their families. We successfully kept the center alive and were able to provide early childhood education for five years. The board of community members that managed the center learned a lot in those five years. Adam, Carlee and I spoke after the announcement of the closing of Families of JCYC and a few times over the last few years. I have shared what I learned from managing and operating Families of JCYC. They have taken that information, formed Appleseed Childhood Education, and in my opinion, have made all the appropriate measures for a successful early child care center to serve our community for many years to come! High-quality child care is important for Jasper County because there is a desperate need for working parents and families to have a safe and reliable provider for the daily care of their children. Our local economy cannot thrive if we are unable to attract and retain young, working families. Investing in high-quality child care is investing in the growth and future of our community. High-quality childhood education lays the foundation for future education, social-emotional growth, and citizenship.  The first few years in a child’s life are the most critical and crucial for academic and social-emotional development. The strength of our community relies on the development of our youth. I hope the community sees that Appleseed is not just a “daycare center”.
Appleseed is a place for the children of the community to develop mentally, socially, and emotionally. At a very young age, children learn a structured environment and how to work as a team with their young peers. Appleseed should be better understood as a private school for the ages of 6 weeks through 5 years of age! I personally know the difficult decisions and challenging emotions parents face when finding care for their children, particularly in a rural area with few options. Fortunately, our children received excellent care as infants until the time they were ready for Kindergarten. I am excited that the future children of the community will have the same opportunity for quality care, growth, and development with Appleseed Childhood Education. I am also excited for young families who will once again have child care options and the peace of mind that comes with being able to leave your children in capable and compassionate hands. While the closing of JCYC was a loss to our community and all who needed access to childcare, ACE has been able to learn more about how to prepare an organization and center that is built to last & nurture children in our community for the long term. ---  Board President, Adam Alson joins WLQI to talk about the mission of Appleseed Childhood Education and the importance of early childhood education services in Jasper County. In this interview hear the Immediate Goals for Appleseed:
Big plans are starting to come together. If you would like to contribute to making these plans happen, please donate and follow along on Facebook.
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Appleseed Childhood Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates to support the creation, facilitation, and enhancement of education opportunities for children in and around Jasper County, Indiana, from birth through high school.