Two happy youngsters, Cody Knowles, left, and Owen Armstrong, enjoy some table playing time at Little Sprouts.

JOHN DAY — Parents in need of child care for their “little sprouts” have a new option in John Day.

Little Sprouts childcare, which opened Feb. 1, offers a complete program for children ages 3 months to 6 years. Monthly rates are available for two, three, four and five days a week, plus drop-off rates while spots are still open. Multiple-child discounts are available.

Licensed for 15 children, the childcare provides a structured daily schedule with music, art and baking opportunities, and a menu that includes organic milk, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Little Sprouts is a setting I’m working on developing a program that provides activities that are the building blocks necessary for further educational achievements,” owner Stacie Klusmier said. “Children are born with a natural enthusiasm for learning.”

Early states of play that involve imagination and fine and gross motor skills are the foundations needed for future learning potential, she said. It’s also during this time that children experience some of their first independent social interactions.

“Little Sprouts is dedicated to making this a safe and nurturing atmosphere for this to happen, and to facilitate the emerging special personalities that all our little ones have,” Klusmier said.

She feels lucky to have found staff members who share her passion for this age group.

“They have a variety of years of experience, special classes they have taken and are all tremendously good with children,” she said.

Running her own childcare is something Klusmier said she has always thought about doing.

Early in her college education, she took early childhood education classes and was a preschool teacher in her early 20s. She intended to pursue an elementary teaching career and knew she enjoyed working with children of all ages. She decided occupational therapy would be a better fit for her, and in 1999, earned a bachelor’s degree in that field from Loma Linda University in California.

During her career, Klusmier has worked with people of all age groups, including at a neonatal intensive care unit where she performed early reflex testing, feeding readiness and developmental testing for children from birth through 24 months.

She currently works at Blue Mountain Hospital where she provides occupational therapy in an inpatient setting as well as the home health department. She provides therapy for Grant County Early Intervention, early childhood special education and developmental testing for Malheur County schools.

Klusmier decided to open a childcare center because she has two young daughters and wanted a place where their children could be together. She also wanted a convenient location for her husband, Jim, for dropping off and picking up their girls, and for lunches together, as schedules permit.

“I have really enjoyed getting to know other families in our small town,” Klusmier said. “Even when my children are grown, I look forward to continuing to get to know the youngest members of our community, along with their parents.”

Little Sprouts, at 227 N.W. Second St. in John Day, is open from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.

For more information, call 541-974-8760.