With the help of an $8,000 “microloan” from the Boone County Economic Development Corp., Little Angels, LLC, added cribs, rocking chairs, diapering stations, signage, paint, flooring and other materials. Little Angels, 925 Hendricks Dr., Lebanon, takes children from 2-1/2 years and up at their facility next to Hattie B. Stokes Elementary School.
Members of the EDC, Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry and Little Angels owner Holly Maxwell were all in attendance for Tuesday morning’s ribbon cutting.
Maxwell said in a press release from the EDC the loan “allowed me to expand my in-home day care into a larger facility that will allow me to serve more families in Boone County.” Maxwell has more than 20 years of child care experience that includes six years of running an in-home day care.
Boone EDC Executive Director Molly Whitehead said the microloan program provides “a convenient start-up option for small-business owners seeking funding for specific projects. The EDC has distributed $23,000 in the past two years under its microloan umbrella.
Over 30 children are enrolled at Little Angels and, with the addition of infant care in the near future, those numbers will certainly rise.
Little Angels is currently certified as a Level 1 Paths to Quality program. Paths to Quality is Indiana’s statewide quality rating and improvement system for early care and education. According to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Little Angels is one of two licensed Paths to Quality day care centers in Lebanon.
“As we continue to see businesses locate and expand in Lebanon, we also see the need for quality child care facilities like Little Angels,” said Gentry in the EDC release. “I hope to see more local small business owners like Holly utilize the Boone EDC Microloan Program.”