Little Eagles and Ravens Nest

The Little Eagles and Ravens Nest (LEARN) is a stateof-the-art early learning environment conveniently located in the heart of Juneau. As a State-licensed child care center, LEARN provides culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate curriculum year-round to children 0-6 years of age.

LEARN is staffed by a team of high-quality early educators dedicated to children’s development and well-being and offers a natural environment that encourages open-ended play and exploration. Wholesome family-style breakfasts, lunches and snacks are provided by Smokehouse Catering.

2020 Highlights

ƒ Secured 4,000+ sq. ft. space to lease at 8001 Glacier Highway, Ste. 1 to open the

LEARN child care center in Juneau, Alaska. » Renovated space with new flooring, paint, furnishings and wall dividers to create five separate classrooms. ƒ Secured a Conditional Use Permit from the City & Borough of Juneau to operate

LEARN. ƒ Applied and was issued a State of Alaska

Child Care Center Provisional License with 60 enrollment spots (16 infants, 24 toddlers, 20 preschool). ƒ Designed and launched a comprehensive website: www.LEARNJuneau.com. ƒ Employed full staff (Administrator, three Early

Childhood Educators, 12 Early Childhood Educator

Aides, two interns, and an Administrative Clerk/Health

Screening Technician) with 58% Native hire. ƒ Partnered with Head Start and United Way of

Southeast Alaska to hire an Early Literacy Tutor through AmeriCorps. ƒ Opened LEARN child care center in February 2020. ƒ Partnered with the Tribe’s 477 Child Care department to provide care for 15 high-risk, high-needs, and foster tribal children. ƒ Earned $168,027 in gross tuition revenue. ƒ Implemented Brightwheel – a child care software for daily communication, news feeds and a billing system with and for enrolled parents, children, families and staff. ƒ Successfully managed operations during a global pandemic by partnering with Tlingit & Haida’s Tribal Emergency Operations Center, the State of Alaska’s Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a

COVID-19 Mitigation Plan for operation. ƒ Partnered with Juneau Composts to reduce food waste and contribute to the local compost.

Jamie Shanley LEARN Administrator

“Offering high quality early education to children in a welcoming, creative and culturallyreflective environment."

“Play and exploration are at the heart of our programs to naturally build independence and foster imagination. Movement is a major part of the learning day! We incorporate dance, music and creative arts into academic subjects."

2020 Highlights (Cont.)

ƒ Provided training opportunities to staff: » All staff completed CPR/First Aid certificates, six hours of Health and Safety training, attained Food Workers cards, Mandatory Reporter training and 24 clock hours (or more) of annual training requirements. » Three staff began or continued work toward national child development certification, and four staff began or continued university courses within the early education field. ƒ Internally recognized a staff member as our Cultural Specialist to provide daily culturally responsive activities and curriculum in all five classrooms and provide ongoing training in Tlingit language to all staff. ƒ Operated at 56% capacity with 34 children (ages two months through six years) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Goals

ƒ Secure biennial State of Alaska Child Care Center License for operation. ƒ Increase to full enrollment while carefully monitoring the pandemic. ƒ Increase staff levels of education to reach at least a level six on the SEED Career

Ladder.