Em’s Eastside Explorers: A home away from home

Local life just got a little bit sweeter for young families in Parker and the surrounding area. Em’s Eastside Explorers has expanded, moving into a new facility, and Director Emily Korthals couldn’t be happier to provide a spacious, safe environment for children to learn and grow.

A key element to Community Development and ensuring a community can thrive is to enhance its quality of life. Young families without local child care are left scrambling and driving extra miles to find the right environment to take care of their most precious asset, their children. The US as a whole is in a child care crisis of sorts, with legislators and community leaders coming together to find and propose ideas. At the end of the day, however, it takes an individual who loves children to take a solution and make it successful.

Parker Development Corporation has been discussing the need for more child care for some time and the impact it would have on the community. The Corp’s President, Curt Lukes, shared “The Development Corp is excited about this new addition to the community. It will be a great asset, drawing in younger families and giving them a place to help raise their kids here in Parker.” Lukes knew of Emily’s in-home daycare and through a few conversations, the idea of a center blossomed.

Emily shared with the SEFP Facilitator, Heather Broehm, that she “needed to expand from my in-home for so many reasons- mainly because we outgrew it. And I had a waiting list. As these kids grow, they need more room than my house can provide, especially during the winter! The future of the center is so big, full of change and opportunities. I see us growing, but I want to grow gradually into the center and ease every child and staff member into it!”

The 2,887-square-foot facility will be able to eventually care for 80 children. There are individual rooms for the various age groups where they will have age-appropriate toys and tools to help them grow. Em’s Eastside Explorers is a state-certified center and will ensure that childcare ratios are followed so the children in their care will have the attention and support they need to thrive.

“Em’s offers a safe environment to love, learn and grow – for each child to do so at their own pace! We are offering the community more childcare options and more employment opportunities. And I only hope each child loves our center as much as I do!”

For more information about Em’s Eastside Explorers, you can follow them on their Facebook page or contact Emily directly.

Emily, Owner and Director of Em’s Eastside Explorers, is presented with her 1st Dollar Certificate during her Openhouse/Ribbon Cutting