Help Found Thriving Roots Non-Profit Childcare Center

The Dover/Somersworth community has a childcare crisis. Waitlists are years long, costs are too high for most families, and staff aren’t always treated or compensated as they deserve. Dozens of families in our community are struggling extra right now because a local daycare center increased rates by 50% with just two weeks' notice. We’re watching our children say goodbye to lifelong friends whose families cannot afford this sudden price hike, and even more families are decreasing their weekly enrollment to get by. No one should have to choose between their job and their child’s favorite place.

So, together with a group of passionate parents, I have taken on a BIG project in a short time. We’ve tasked ourselves with opening a new, non-profit daycare center here in the Tricity area. With the community’s help, we will open a center that offers affordability for families, a healthy and happy learning community for children, and quality employment and benefits for staff. The non-profit model will allow us to keep daycare tuition as low as possible, offer valuable benefits to staff (such as low-cost childcare and bonuses), and improve classrooms and play areas with any additional funds.

We are starting from scratch and absolutely cannot realize this vision without YOU - the parents, family members, friends, educators, and caring neighbors of the Dover, Somersworth, and Rochester areas. Our paperwork is filed, a “home” is being zeroed in on, and we will begin putting out job and enrollment postings soon! We have an EIN and are awaiting our Articles of Incorporation from the state within the next week. We will file as a 501(c)3 after that, though this isn't a requirement of a non-profit.

Now, we need to raise $100,000 to cover the costs of opening a childcare center: leasing a space; outfitting it with the items children and teachers need to thrive; paying staff; a reserve in the bank for maintenance or other unexpected needs.

We KNOW this is a lofty goal. There are still a few unknowns that make it hard for us to know exactly how much we still need to start up, and we'd rather overestimate. However, we are also actively pursuing emergency funding and grants. Should we reach a point in which we recognize that we cannot make this happen, we will be refunding donations.

With your help, this new center will provide affordable childcare and employment to more than 75 teachers and families! We have everything we need to succeed except the financial resources to get off the ground.

Please spread the word! Thank you so much for caring & helping!

Rebecca Rouse

President of Thriving Roots Childcare

Ashley Kane

Secretary

Jeff Langenheim

Treasurer