About Us
About Us
Family
Creativity
Commitment
Nurture
Love
History
Opening a childcare center has always been a dream for owner Jamie Gillund. While attending college at Southwest Minnesota State University, she worked at the campus childcare center and immediately fell in love with the center’s atmosphere. Caring for young children is something she has always wanted to do. Working with a team who had the same ambitions made it a perfect place for her.
After earning her degree in Early Childhood Education, she went to open an in-home daycare and continued to provide care for 17 years. While operating her in-home daycare, she still dreamed of opening a childcare center. During the summer of 2020 she decided it was finally time.
The communities around her were in a childcare crisis. Jamie’s in-home daycare had a maximum capacity of 12 children, which had been consistently full for years, and she was getting calls daily for both full time and drop-in care. The town of Ghent and the surrounding area needed more options. After researching possible facilities in the area, she was unable to find what she considered appropriate for a childcare center. So, she decided to build a childcare center from the ground up. With the help of her husband, they designed the center, picked out the best location in town and are now making her dream come true! Not only does Jamie get to do what she has always wanted, she is excited to help her community and the children within it grow.
Mission
To provide a safe, stimulating, and caring environment for children ages six weeks to 12 years. Our focus is to provide an encouraging educational experience, promoting social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
Committed to the families we serve, we strive to give parents complete peace of mind, while providing a stable, secure learning environment that fosters a solid foundation for lifelong success.
Vision
At Little Explorers Child Care Center LLC we provide a safe, reliable, educational, and fun environment for your child.
Philosophy
We believe children learn best in a safe and happy place where they are free to explore their surroundings. Every child needs an environment that encourages them to learn and grow physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially at their own pace.
We believe children learn through play! The role of the teacher is to be a facilitative guide to help children meet developmentally appropriate milestones through inspired learning.
Owner's Bio
Jamie was born on a small farm in Ivanhoe, Minnesota. After several years, her father decided farming was not for him, packed the family up and moved to Arizona. For years Jamie moved from one house to another in Arizona, Michigan, and then finally during Jr. High, back to Minnesota. She graduated from Marshall High School and went on to Southwest Minnesota State University.
There was no doubt what Jamie wanted to do when she grew up. Her whole life she had loved caring for children. She was the little girl who always carried around a baby doll and the teenager who was always eager to babysit. She absolutely loved being with the younger ages. She graduated from SMSU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education. During college she worked at the on campus child care center. She soon went on to open an in-home daycare. She has cared for hundreds of children in the 17 years as a licensed in-home child care provider here in Ghent.
Jamie Gillund's Family
Jamie is married to Kurt and has five children, Daylin, Skyla, Kestler, Whitney and Gunner. She loves attending her children’s events, camping with the family, shopping, and eating out. Most of all, Jamie loves going to work every day and hearing the laughter, seeing the smiles, and knowing she is making a difference for so many little ones and their families!
