EXPANDING INTO CRONE CARE LEARNING CENTER
It all begins with an idea.
An established childcare program. A new space to serve more families.
Rachel Watkins Family Childcare, known to many families as Rachel's Little Bears, has been caring for and educating children in Humboldt County since 1999. Today, our fully operating large family childcare program continues to welcome children and families while construction moves forward on the new CRONE CARE Learning Center.
Our childcare remains open and fully operational throughout construction. The new learning center is being built in a separate area of the property that is not used by the children in our current childcare program.
In 2025, Rachel Watkins Large Family Childcare was awarded a $715,000 new construction childcare grant to expand into a childcare center and increase childcare opportunities for families in Humboldt County. After more than five years of education, planning, and grant writing, owner Rachel Watkins' vision for creating a dedicated early learning center began to take shape.
The new CRONE CARE Learning Center will include three classrooms designed around the developmental and educational needs of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Our small classroom communities remain an important part of our program, with space for 8 infants, 12 toddlers, and 15 preschoolers.
The new center allows us to welcome more families while continuing the connected learning environments that have shaped our childcare program for years.
Follow along as we build the next chapter of CRONE CARE.
2025 | THE VISION MOVES FORWARD: Grant awarded. Planning. City approval.
FALL 2025 | THE FOUNDATION: Construction begins.
SPRING 2026 | POWER + PROGRESS: Permanent power installed.
SUMMER 2026 | THE CLASSROOMS TAKE SHAPE: Decking. Insulation. Sheetrock.
FOLLOW ALONG
See the latest construction progress and follow along as we continue to build CRONE CARE Learning Center.