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Little Vikings, Big Results:
Creating revenue through a day care program
Carpet time rhymes at Little Vikings School
An idea isborn…
As district leaders, we are always looking to improve our
schools. We analyze data, juggle the latest mandates,
and carefully consider staffing, all while being handcuffed
by funding shortfalls. We often find ourselves reacting to
situations and circumstances rather than stopping to dream
about what could be. Three years ago, we stopped what
we were doing to dream and to brainstorm an idea. We
recognized the need to innovate our way out of the financial
circumstances so many Illinois school districts were faced
with. From this conversation, ideas emerged that ultimately
would provide increased stability for our district while
delivering solutions to community needs.
Like many districts, we were in the middle of staff reductions,
and programs were next. We needed to cut expenses,
increase revenue, or both. At the same time, we began
noticing several parents reaching out to the district or through
social media asking for recommendations for local day care
options. It was at that point that we decided to explore the
idea of starting our own tuition-based full day care program.
The Little Viking School program emerged. As we write
this today, we are thrilled with the results. We are providing
a much needed resource to our community, increasing
community support for our schools, providing early education
opportunities to students, and have created a new and
substantial revenue stream. This article will outline the steps
it took to allow our Little Vikings to deliver Big Results.
Theplan takes shape...
Developing a program required time and research. At the
time, we were already offering after-school care and a
Pre-K program. After visiting other schools with full day
care programs, we surveyed our elementary parents to
determine if there was truly a need or interest in developing
By Dr. David Mouser, Superintendent
and Sara Burnett, Elementary School Principal
Tri-Valley CUSD #3
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