The wing of St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center that once was the home to Little Giants Day Care will soon be the new site of a Tri-Valley Opportunity Council’s Head Start program, opening in June.

A new child care center is moving to Blue Earth from its current location in Winnebago, in a few months. It will be located in a wing of St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. recently announced the upcoming opening of a new Head Start center in Blue Earth. This center is made possible through a collaborative partnership with St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center, which will provide dedicated space within its facility for the new early childhood education site, Tri-Valley said.

“We initially started talking with Tri-Valley in November of 2023,” says St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center administrator Margaret Brandt. “Then the St. Luke’s board of directors voted to move forward on the project.”

Remodeling of the wing that once was the home to Little Giants Day Care and Adult Day Care, started the end of January of this year, Brandt says.

“Tri-Valley will be a great addition to St. Luke’s campus,” Brandt says. “Intergenerational programs will benefit the residents and children. Plus, St. Luke’s will be furnishing the new center with meals and snacks.”

Tri-Valley’s Head Start program serves families working in agriculture and provides comprehensive services to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant women. The new center in Blue Earth will help meet the growing need for high-quality, free early childhood education and family support services in the region. Services are anticipated to begin in June of 2026.

With funding secured through federal and state grants, Tri-Valley is renovating the wing of St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center to create classrooms and program spaces that meet Minnesota state licensing requirements and the rigorous standards of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Renovations are underway and will result in a safe, welcoming, and developmentally appropriate environment designed specifically to meet the needs of young children and families.

Bringing this program into the community is an investment in both families and the local economy, a spokesperson said. By creating employment opportunities, purchasing goods and services from local businesses, and strengthening partnerships with local organizations, Tri-Valley helps invest resources within the community while supporting the workforce needs of agricultural families.

Once construction is complete, Tri-Valley will host a community open house to introduce the new center, provide tours, and celebrate this partnership and the increased opportunities it brings to families in Faribault County and the surrounding area.

“We are excited to move our services from Winnebago to Blue Earth which is closer to where our families live and work, and grateful for St. Luke’s partnership in making this possible,” said Lindsay Vokaty, Special Projects manager. “This center represents a significant investment in children, families, and the future of our community.”

Brandt says there has been a lot of collaboration between Tri-Valley and St. Luke’s to ensure the project is completed. That includes making space in a current parking lot area for a new playground, and creating a new parking lot area behind the building.

“Tri-Valley has been great to work with and we are happy to welcome them to the St. Luke’s Campus,” Brandt says. “It will be nice to bring life back to the building with all the little ones.”

The Blue Earth Head Start center will offer:

• Free early childhood education for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children

• Support for pregnant women, including prenatal education and family services

• Comprehensive services such as nutrition, health, transportation assistance, family engagement, and developmental screenings

• Summer services, designed for families working in agriculture

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is a non-profit community action agency headquartered in Crookston. In existence since 1965, Tri-Valley provides services in 74 counties in Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota.