Little Cats Early Learning Center has a new playground and celebrated it Tuesday, May 16, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce. Little Cats, 710 N. SR 5, Larwill, is part of the Whitko Community School Corporation. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

LARWILL – Little Cats Early Learning Center has a new playground for all of its young students to enjoy, and it’s part of the groundwork for the future growth of the child care facility.

Little Cats, 710 N. SR 5, Larwill, is part of the Whitko Community School Corporation. Jamie Paino, Little Cats director, said they serve kids from birth to 6 years old for the Whitko employees and the community. The center opened in August 2021.

While Tuesday’s May 16 ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce was a celebration of the new playground equipment, Paino said, “We’re hoping to grow our center in the future, so this is a celebration of growth and a new playground.”

A $300,000 Build, Learn, Grow Stabilization federal grant offered by the state paid for the playground equipment last summer, she said. It includes musical instrument pieces, a dramatic play area, a sand-and-water table, climbables, communication devices and an activity board. There’s a place where the children can eat meals or pretend to serve meals, while one of the kids’ favorite part of the playground is a spaceship shaped like an egg.

Little Cats currently serves about 60 families, Paino said. “That includes before- and after-school care for elementary school-aged students as well for the Whitko Community School District,” she said. “We are wanting to expand to have at least 100 kids.”

Renovations to the Whitko Career Academy building are in the plans to provide for space for those additional children, she said. A privacy fence around the playground will be installed this summer.

Rachel Alexander, LaunchPad Whitley County coordinator, said there are no available child care seats in Whitley County and everyone is at capacity with a waiting list.

“Essentially, my position is to support all the different providers, whether it’s a school system or registered ministry or a center or a home provider and help build capacity and to help improve quality of programs, and then trying to come up with a solution to make it more affordable for parents,” Alexander said.

She said having playground equipment is very important for an early learning center.

“Children learn through play, and physical activity is really important for their development, so having an environment like this where they can move around and explore and be creative will build cognitive growth, as well. And I think that parents want to see that there are outdoor learning spaces for their kids,” she said.

Alexander said Little Cats has really big plans to expand and become licensed and improve their Paths to Quality, and she is really excited to support them through the process.

“Little Cats has been a great asset to the community as they have continued to grow in capacity and quality since they opened their doors in 2021. This developmentally appropriate playground is just another example of their commitment to excellence for the children in their care,” said Sherry Searles, LaunchPad director, Kosciusko County.

Tim Pivarnik, Whitko Schools superintendent, said Little Cats is “a crucial part of Whitko and the community and surrounding communities. It really is a program that is in need. It’s really in need for families today to have a good quality – not only good quality child care, but a quality child care that has an academic component to it, and that’s what we’re looking to put here.”

He said Little Cats is going to be expanding.

“We’re expanding all of this to our early learning center. We’re going to bring our preschool that’s in Pierceton, we’re working to network that, to bring it up here and turn this into an early learning center for all of them. It will be completely state licensed and we are also looking to put up here a satellite STEM kindergarten room with an Ag component, which will be a really cool addition to the school system and community,” Pivarnik said. “But this is integral to our growth and to the benefit of the families and to the benefit of the students for their early learning and to help get them off to a very positive start in their academic careers.”

Paino said Little Cats is offering summer camp for children ages 3-6. The Creative Kids Summer Fun Camp includes themed sessions, daily lunch, learning materials and field trips, according to a flyer she provided. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with half-day options available. Cost is $225 a session, and financial vouchers are accepted. The camp schedule is June 5-16, Little Reader’s and Writer’s Club; June 20-30, Science and Math Master’s Club; and July 10-20, Smart Art Club.

Visit www.littlecatsearlylearningcenter.com to register and for more information.