School Age Care Center
Early Childhood Development | Child Care Services Program
ENROLLMENT COMING
SOON!
Our Care Center
The Center can accommodate up to 45 children specifically within the ages between 5 - 12 years old. The facility includes three smart-classrooms, commercial kitchen, administrative workspaces, and a full-size gymnasium. The Center is directly connected to the Dream Catcher Park as well as its own contained play area for outdoor activities. The Center is staffed with local teachers, youth assistants, and summer interns from local schools and communities. Programing will incorporate local existing youth programs, organizations, clubs, and individuals to provide a holistic-community approach to care and education. The Center is an extension of the Child Care Services Program and under the oversight of LLBO's Education Division: Early Childhood Development Department.
Our Care Services
01. After-Care
During the school year, the Care Center will provide after-school-care services to children whose families are eligible.
02. School-Releases
The Care Center coordinates with the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig Schools and Cass Lake-Bena Schools to prepare for school release days and provide full-day of services.
03. Summer-Care
The Care Center will provide full-day curriculum for children ages 5-12 years old encompassing language & culture, STEAM, physical activities, and nutrition services.
3:00 pm - 5:30 pm | School Year
8:00 am - 5:30 pm | School Year [days off]
8:00 am - 5:30 pm | Summer | Jun. 4 - Aug. 21
What Your Child Can Expect
- Anishinaabe language and culture integration in all areas of learning
- STEAM learning
- Creative activities through painting, crafting, and building concepts
- Physical activities with indoor and outdoor games and learning
- Teambuilding and social interaction
- Homework assistance from teachers and youth assistants
- Healthy tasty snacks [after-care, school releases, summer] and meals [school releases, summer]
- Field Trips and nature activities [summer]
What You Can Expect
- Year-round program includes after-school, school-release days, summer, and seasonal breaks
- Convenience collaboration with local schools and organizations for drop offs during school year
- Culturally based curriculum
- Health and safe environment with locked entries, emergency lockdown ready, and other safety features
- Build partnership with local programs and practitioners including LLBO Youth Program, B&G Club of Leech Lake, Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig Schools, Cass Lake-Bena Schools, area clubs, and educational role-models.
- Local teachers and mentors - the center employs teachers, mentors, and interns from the local community and schools. Your child will grow and learn with those who they'll see and are familiar to in the community.
*The Care Center does not operate on days where Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe tribal closures are in effect due to weather conditions, holidays, and other closure reasons.
Check Your Eligibility
Enrollment into the Center is based on various eligibility criteria. Please complete the Eligibility Pre-Screening Form to determine if your family and child(s) is eligible for childcare program. If eligible, a SACC Application Packet will be available for pickup or mailed to you.
Re-evaluation will be conducted annually. Prior enrollment does not automatically result in re-enrollment into the program. Applicants who were not selected will be wait-listed and notified if a slot is open for enrollment for the specific schoolyear evaluated.
2025 - 2026 School Year | January 5, 2025 - August 21, 2026 | Enrollment Eligibility Opens Soon / Enrollment Starts Soon
2026 - 2027 School Year | September 8, 2026 - August 2027 | Enrollment Eligibility Opens July 2026 / Enrollment Starts August 2026
Resources & Information
The following Calander is as-of-date and may be subject to change in the future due to on-going circumstances. (Actual start date has not been determined)
Holidays
- Christmas Break Schools 12/22/2025-1/2/2026
- Christmas Tribal 12/24/2025-12/26/2025
- Martin Luther King Jr. Tribal/Schools 1/19/2026
- Presidents’ Day Tribal/Schools 2/16/2026
- Unknown Tribal 04/6/2026
- Memorial Day Tribal/Schools 5/25/2026
- Juneteenth Tribal/Schools 6/19/2026
- 4th of July Tribal/Schools 7/3/2026
- Labor Day Tribal/Schools 9/7/2026
- Sugar Point Day Tribal 10/5/2026
- Indigenous Peoples Day Tribal/Schools 10/11/2026 [possible observed on 10/12/2026]
- Veterans’ Day Tribal/Schools 11/11/2026
- Thanksgiving Tribal/Schools 11/25/2026-11/27/2026
Open Full-Time During School Closures [if tribal programs open]
- Christmas Break 12/22/2025-12/23/2025
- Christmas Break 12/29/2025-12/30/2025
- New year’s Break 1/02/2025
- Teacher’s Work Day 3/12/2025
- Unknown 04/3/2026
- MEA 10/15/2026-10/16/2026 [TBD]
Operational Closures
- Maintenance 08/24/2026-8/28/2026
- In-Service 8/24/2026-9/4/2026
Space is limited for each school year. Eligibility is determined by the following points-ranking criteria items:
- Member or descendant of a federally recognized tribe [in ranking order: LLBO > MCT > Other MN Tribe > All Other Tribe]
- Family/household income requirements
- Age requirements
- Population status
- Other criteria
Unselected families will be placed on a waiting list for the school year. New applications are required for each new school year; family circumstances may change annually; therefore, prior enrollment does not automatically result in re-enrollment and are reviewed eligibility.
- Enrollment Packet (if eligible, a form can be picked up at our CCS - Maajiigan Center or mailed to you directly.)
- Family Policy Handbook
- Licensing Information
- Family Subsidized Care Application (will be included within Enrollment Packet)
We are dedicated to the development of youths. Each team member brings important attributes, experiences and insights that are critical to youth development. Our staff participate in deliberate learning and speaking our ancestral language. They build community with our families through respectful and meaningful relationships. Our team members are a part of the community and seek to provide the best care possible for our children and families.
Off-Site
- Lauri Harper LLBO Education Division Director
- Lee Turney Early Childhood Development Program Director
- Patti Turney Child Care Services Program Manager
On-Site
- Amarin Chanthorn School Age Care Center Manager
- Vacant Team Lead
- Vacant Team Lead
- Vacant Youth Assistant
- Vacant Youth Assistant
- Vacant Youth Assistant
- Vacant Summer Intern
- Vacant Summer Intern
- Vacant Summer Intern
10/22/2025
October 22, 2025 | 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new School Age Care Center located adjacent to the Dream Catcher Park and former Cass Lake-Bena elementary school. The Care Center - whose Anishinaabe name has not yet be established - will provide childcare services up to 45 children. The year-round center will provide after-care during the school year, school release-care, and summer-care.
The Care Center is a programming part of the Child Care Services program within the Early Childhood Development department. Expanding its services to include school-age children who are between 5-12 years old. The Care Center will provide additional community support to existing care services in the area. It looks to work collaboratively with the Boys and Girls Club, Cass Lake-Bena Schools, and LLBO's Youth Program to ensure a holistic approach to care and learning.
The Care Center consists of three-classrooms, commercial kitchen, meeting room, staff community workspace, four restrooms, and a full-size gymnasium equipped for basketball and volleyball. The LLBO DRM's sustainable energy initiative has included on-roof solar panel array providing 40kw of power to the center. The building features emergency lockdown and secured electronic entries.
The School Age Care Center was funded by Federal Child Care Development Fund, the largest federal funding source for childcare in the United States. It provides funding to states, tribes, and territories to administer childcare services affordable to low-income working families.
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9/29/2025
Employee | SACC Manager
The Child Care Services program welcomes Amarin Chanthorn as the new School Age Care Center Manager. He will continue his services in Early Childhood Development having recently served as the Grants and Budgets Coordinator for ECD programs, which included Child Care Services, Head Start & Early Head Start, SNAPED, and MNTRECC. Education and training experience obtained from Leech Lake Gaming, Leech Lake Tribal College, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and St. Olaf College.
Amarin is local to the Leech Lake area moving from Bangkok, Thailand to Cass Lake, MN in late 1991. He attended the Cass Lake-Bena elementary school and was part of the first class to have completed all four-years and graduated from the "new" high school in year 2000. He has an A.A.S. from the Leech Lake Tribal College, B.S. from Rasmussen University, M.B.A. from the College of St. Scholastica and D.Ed. candidacy from St. Mary's University of Minnesota.
He plans to continue and complete his career working in the Leech Lake community through education services.
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