Little Explorers finds home after fire
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
Kara Adams, Leyton Leudecke and Taytum Carr learning about the habitat and life cycles of frogs at the temporary home of Little Explorers Learning Academy at the New Life Church in Rathdrum. The day care/preschool reopened after two weeks on Monday.
Courtesy photo
A fire during the early hours on March 15 at The River Church at 1687 E. Horsehaven Ave., Post Falls caused Little Explorers Learning Academy to find a new location.
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | April 3, 2026 1:09 AM
POST FALLS — It's been a whirlwind for Little Explorers Learning Academy since a fire took its home last month.
“We have not been allowed back into the building yet, but if we peek in the windows, it’s all there. It looks like it’s frozen in time,” Jill Verburg said.
Verburg and fellow owner Shawna Disterhaupt started the business five years ago and said they were flourishing at their location at The River Church before they lost everything to the early morning fire March 15.
“I got the call at 4 and by 4:30, I was over there watching everything we had built go up in smoke,” Verburg said.
Then came the hard part: how to find a new home.
A parent suggested New Life Church in Rathdrum as a temporary space and a deal was soon struck.
The two owners and 13 staff members prepared and ordered new toys and replacement furniture, and Little Explorers opened this week.
“We were able to work out having a space here for as long as we need until they rebuild the church. They all worked very, very hard to get the new center ready, which is above and beyond what we would have asked of a teacher. They pitched in and worked extra hours,” Verburg said.
The day care/preschool had about a fourth of its students drop out of the program due to the move to Rathdrum, but it reopened with 54 students Monday.
“The hardest thing about this for me was not seeing the kids for two weeks and worrying that our families would not have quality childcare for an extended time," Disterhaupt said.
Verburg credited New Life Church for taking them in, as well as the families who stayed with them during the transition.
“We're not discouraged because we know God’s going to work it out for us and he’s provided so far,” Verburg said.
When they began the business in 2021, they had two classrooms and 30 kids.
Generally, the day care/preschool hosts about six classes with 70 to 80 kids.
"We were growing and were doing really well,” Verburg said.
The community has donated toys and art supplies, and more are welcome.
Financial contributions can be made at www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-little-explorers-learning-academy.
The fundraiser had raised $5,585 toward its $15,000 goal as of Thursday night.
A fire in the early hours of March 15 at The River Church, 1687 E. Horsehaven Ave., Post Falls, forced Little Explorers Learning Academy to find a new location.ARTICLES BY CAROLYN BOSTICK
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