Tri County Area Schools is excited to announce a new partnership with Natural Wonders Childcare Center that will expand childcare opportunities for local families and strengthen the role of the MacNaughton Learning Center as a hub for early childhood services in our community.
Natural Wonders Childcare, which has served children and families for more than 11 years, is bringing its childcare services to the MacNaughton Learning Center. This partnership brings together two organizations with a shared commitment to supporting children and families and creates an opportunity to build relationships with families from the earliest years of a child’s educational journey.
For Tri County, increasing access to quality childcare is an important part of strengthening our community. Families need dependable childcare options that work with their schedules, school calendars, and the needs of their children. By welcoming Natural Wonders into the MacNaughton Learning Center, Tri County can help expand those options while bringing multiple early childhood services together in one location.
Natural Wonders will provide:
Infant care
Toddler care
3-year-old preschool
4-year-old GSRP FREE Pre-K
Tri County GSRP latchkey/wrap-around care
School-age latchkey and wrap-around care
Full-time care options during school closings, school breaks, and summer
“This partnership represents exactly what we want the MacNaughton Learning Center to become—a place where children and families feel connected, supported, and welcomed from their earliest years,” said Ryan Biller, Superintendent of Tri County Area Schools. “By partnering with Natural Wonders, we are expanding access to quality childcare while creating stronger relationships with families long before their children enter kindergarten. For us, this is about more than sharing space; it is about working together to serve our kids, strengthen our families, and build an even stronger Tri County community.”
One of the most important opportunities created through the partnership is a greater sense of continuity for children and families. A child may begin at Natural Wonders as an infant, grow through toddler care and preschool, transition into GSRP and Tri County Area Schools, and continue to have access to before- and after-school, school break, and summer care.
Fewer transitions. Familiar faces. Stronger relationships.
That continuity can benefit children and families while also creating a stronger bridge between early childhood and elementary education. By connecting with families before their children enter kindergarten, Tri County has an opportunity to build relationships and trust earlier, while helping families become familiar with the people, programs, and resources available through the school district.
The partnership also further strengthens the vision for the MacNaughton Learning Center as a community hub for families and early childhood services. The building already brings together important programs and services for young children, including Tri County’s 3- and 4-year-old preschool programs, early childhood special education services, 8 Cap Head Start preschool, and MAISD parent and child playgroups. The addition of Natural Wonders childcare creates an even more comprehensive early childhood environment for children and families in the community.
Rather than families having to navigate multiple locations and disconnected services, MacNaughton Learning Center is becoming a place where families can connect with a variety of early childhood programs, childcare options, and supports as their children grow.
For Natural Wonders, the partnership represents an opportunity to extend its longstanding commitment to local families.
“We are incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Tri County Area Schools and become an even bigger part of this community,” said Tamara LeVeque, President of Natural Wonders Childcare Center. “From the beginning, Natural Wonders Childcare Center has been built around one simple goal: providing families with quality, dependable childcare where children are loved, supported, and given the opportunity to grow. This partnership allows us to bring that vision to even more local families while providing continuity of care for children from infancy through school age.”
LeVeque added, “We are so thankful that Tri County shares our commitment to supporting children and families, and we truly believe this partnership is the beginning of something very special for our community. We are honored to be here, excited for what’s ahead, and incredibly grateful to every family who trusts Natural Wonders to be part of their child’s story.”
At the heart of the partnership is a shared question that guided conversations between the two organizations: How can we better serve our kids and families?
This partnership is one answer.
By working together, Tri County Area Schools and Natural Wonders can expand childcare opportunities, support local families, strengthen early childhood programming, and create a more connected experience for children from birth through their school-age years.
For Tri County Area Schools, this partnership is about more than adding another program to a school building. It is about building a stronger community through relationships, access, and continuity. It is about creating a place where families can connect with Tri County early, access a range of services and opportunities, and feel supported throughout their child’s journey.
As the MacNaughton Learning Center continues to bring together preschool, early childhood special education, Head Start, MAISD playgroups, and now expanded childcare services through Natural Wonders, it is becoming an important gathering place for young children and families in the Tri County community.
Birth through 12. One community. One continuous journey. A whole lot of growing along the way.
Welcome, Natural Wonders! We are proud to have you as part of the Tri County family and look forward to all that we can accomplish together.