The joke that is made, especially in rural towns, is that you tell your childcare about your pregnancy before the father. All jokes aside, there is a tremendous need for childcare throughout Redwood County and we are excited that Maria Harms, owner of Snug as a Bug Childcare, decided to pick Redwood Falls to open her new center next month.
About the Owner
Maria Harms is a name known around the community for her previous childcare work throughout the surrounding area as well as at Cardinal Kids Club. She received her undergraduate degree from North Dakota State in Business Management and Childhood Development and later received her Master’s degree in Education Administration and Leadership with a Principal, Superintendent and Community Ed License. Maria is now working full time at Snug as a Bug Childcare and excited to watch this childhood dream of hers become a reality.
Investment in Redwood Falls
The land was acquired in February of 2021 with excitement on the location being walking distance from the library, the pool and the park. They started the building in October 2022 and was officially finished in July 2023. Snug as a Bug Childcare is housed under 5,400 square feet with four classrooms and a kitchen, staff room, bathrooms and an administrative office. The building has seven heating and cooling zones so each classroom has their own temperature monitor. This is ideal for the babies so it can be heated up a bit and with the older children who run around a lot the temperature can be cooler.
Locals Companies Who Played a Role
- Redwood Building Center
- MJ Mechanical
- Klabunde Electric
- Schmidt Excavating
- Harms Services
- Ecowater
- Redwood County EDA
- Jonti Craft
- City of Redwood Falls
Children’s Safety at Top of Mind
There are security cameras throughout the entire building for safety and liability. The fire system is monitored 24/7 so if at any time the fire system gets pulled, the fire department is automatically alerted to come. The second interior door is locked at all times. Every adult gets a code to unlock the door for five seconds before it relocks.
The Feeling of Home
During drop off, guests will pull into the east side of the parking lot and exit on the west side under the portico to avoid dropping off children in rain or snow. They ask that people remove their shoes when they enter the building so that it remains clean and it’s more of a homelike facility versus a corporate “keep your shoes on” feeling. If children desire to wear shoes, they ask that parents bring indoor shoes.
Curriculum
High Scopes curriculum is utilized which is similar to the Redwood School District for infants through preschool. School age is more of a before and after school program and then all summer-long. Snug as a Bug Childcare is play-based. Maria believes in making sure that God, dirt and play make an appearance everyday. The Christian bible will be pulled in at certain times of the day. Children are encouraged to play in the dirt so as Maria says “sorry to the people that do the laundry.”
Classrooms
All teachers are teacher qualified determined by the state of Minnesota licensing. Infants through school age groups are serviced which means six weeks to 12 years of age.
Infant Room
These are the 6 weeks to 16 months of age children. Each child has a cubby that will be home for their personal belongings. There is a separate room to help aid infants during nap time.
Toddler Room
Toddlers are considered ages 16 months to 33 months. There is a bathroom included in the room with a baby devoro toilet for the children to use along with a changing table.
Preschool Room
Preschoolers are children aged 33 months to the first day of kindergarten. This room includes two bathrooms, one with a small baby debra toilet and the other has a normal sized one.
School-Aged Children Room
School-aged children are kindergarteners through age 12. This room also has two bathrooms.
Spots Now Open!
The Snug as a Bug Childcare’s first official day is September 6, 2023. Contact Maria at (507) 627-7684 to check availability. At the time of this article being published, she had a few spots open!
Snug as a Bug Childcare is eager to show the center to the community! Everyone is invited to come out to the public Open House during the Redwood Falls Fall Festival on September 23 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. There will be a bounce house, treats, refreshments, tours, staff meet and greet! Follow Maria and Snug as a Bug Childcare on Facebook for more updates. Rumor has it, she might have a surprise in store for the Open House!