PINEHURST –– Big changes are coming to Tiny Town. 

The childcare facility in Pinehurst is in the midst of an expansion that will give them more than 4,000-square feet of new space. 

When owner/operator Jesica Calabretta got into the childcare business almost seven years ago it was almost out of a matter of necessity – Following the birth of her son, she, like so many other parents, was at a crossroads. 

“I looked into my childcare options in order to return to work after maternity leave and wasn't too thrilled with the choices,” Calabretta said. “This got me thinking about how many other moms feel the same way, stuck picking between their careers or their child's wellbeing.”

Calabretta decided to bet on herself and take the two ideas and make them into one. 

All these years later, that decision has paid off in spades – and now, her business has grown to the point that she had another big choice to make. 

Expand, or turn kids and families away. 

Childcare in smaller communities isn’t an easy obstacle to overcome, whether the issue is availability or affordability – options are few and far between. 

Almost immediately after she opened her doors, Calabretta’s Tiny Town had a waiting list of families trying to get their kids enrolled, 

“Three months into opening I started my waiting list and still have a waiting list, and this September will be seven years in business,” She said. “I figured it's time to expand and hopefully better serve my community. I've had families say they are ready to have another baby but when is a good time for me because they want to secure a spot.”

Regretfully, Calabretta has also had kids age right out of the waiting list without ever being able to attend – which is part of the fuel for this expansion. 

Once completed, the new space will divvied up into four large classrooms with extra storage space. The addition was strategically placed to allow the facility to maintain its large “backyard” area so that the kids will still have plenty of room to play safely outside

“We have a big playground structure, a concrete pathway for bikes, a tree house, and a small fenced in space for little ones to safely play outside too,” Calabretta said.

Calabretta’s facility offers some basic preschool activities that challenge the children to become more familiar with the world around them in a safe environment.

Her goal is to hopefully add up to 100 additional spots – but before she can do that, she will need to make sure that her staff is large enough to handle that many kids and that they are the right fit for the standard that she holds her teachers to. 

“I believe Tiny Town is successful because we have accomplished our mission statement, to develop little hearts and minds in a nurturing atmosphere that all children need and deserve,” Calabretta said. “We do this by providing a safe, clean, loving, and structured environment. We genuinely care about young children and enjoy teaching them about the exciting world around them.”

She anticipates that she will need between 10 and 15 new teachers once the expansion is complete. 

The expansion of Tiny Town is expected to be completed later this year.  

For more information on Tiny Town, or to get on the waiting list for childcare services, reach out to Jesica Calabretta at (208) 682-3663.