Saint Paul’s Newest Non-profit Child Care Center
A Place of Joy and Learning for Children 2.5 to 5 years
Reggio and Montessori-Inspired
Childhood is a Place of Wonder
Big Wonder is a non-profit child care center in Saint Paul, MN. We’re on a mission to provide exceptional care for children 2.5 to 5 years through innovative and nurturing practices that support the child, the family, and the teacher. We spark magic and potential in early childhood education.
Our Mission
We honor the unique rights of children, families, and teachers to create a just and harmonious community. Big Wonder is committed to equity and race consciousness. We serve families of different races, family structures, religious beliefs, and social-economic backgrounds. We are inspired by Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and spiritual inquiry frameworks to provide high-quality education for our youngest learners. We create and model innovative methods to find sustainable solutions to improve early childhood education.
We accept CCAP and Early Learning Scholarships!
See our Enrollment Page for more information.
Now Enrolling!
2025 Summer Camp
We are enrolling eight 1st-3rd Graders in our first-ever Summer Camp!
June 9th- August 22nd
This camp will focus on exploring the outdoors, being good stewards of the earth, engineering, artistic expression, and inquiry-inspired play. We will also include mathematics, reading, and writing instruction to maintain or grow skill levels throughout the summer. Our camp will be a small group of children, which will make it a place for deep friendships to develop. We are a play-based school and believe children are highly driven to explore and learn meaningfully.
$350/wk Kindergarteners
$250/wk 1st-3rd Grade
Must commit for a minimum of 8 weeks.
Space is limited.
Contact us to learn more!
Striving for Excellence and Innovation
As a school dedicated to excellence and innovation, we are starting small—with only two classrooms.
We have a preschool classroom with 10 children aged 3.5 to 5 and a second classroom with 18 children aged 2.5 to 3.5.
Starting small allows us to grow with intention, nurture and empower our teachers, and create a community of trust, innovation, and love for everyone: families, children, and teachers.
We will grow and add more classrooms sustainably and naturally over the next three years.
Family Feedback
“Celeste has put her whole heart into Big Wonder. She and Hannah (teacher) light up every morning you walk in at drop off and are still smiling, with all the details from the day, at pick up. My son typically takes a long time to warm up to new places and new routines, but that has not been the case at Big Wonder. Drop offs are so smooth and he is beyond excited every day that he gets to be there. Since the very first day, he wakes up every morning asking if he gets to go to school today. Having a child that would typically cling to me with hesitation in previous programs and now runs, full of excitement when we get to school at Big Wonder, is the most satisfying feeling any parent can possibly have. There is a feeling of safety, reassurance and happiness in this space...every detail has been carefully thought out. There is so much freedom for the kids to explore, learn and create in the most secure space. The changes to my sons self esteem, in just a few weeks, have been extraordinary. I recommend Big Wonder to everyone. Celeste and Hannah are without a doubt the most dedicated, loving teachers you can possibly hope for and the space is absolutely stunning.” -Sarah, A Big Wonder Parent
“We love Big Wonder! And better yet? Our child loves going to school everyday! He has quickly made friends and trusting relationships with his teachers. He feels welcome, accepted, and heard. We value that he learns everything from how to use mindfulness to calm his body, how to ask questions like a scientist, and how to practice being a great friend (to share, ask for help, be kind, and generous). It’s a meaningful place.
We are counting the days until our younger child will be old enough to begin school here!” -Ali, A Big Wonder Parent
“This school seems like such a wonderful place! I love the environment and care for one another! Jack is fortunate to be there. Thanks for the update and photos. I can’t wait to see Jack tomorrow and have him tell me stories about his new friends and school. Thanks Again.” - Robin, A Big Wonder Grandmother
Let’s Build a Nature Playground!
Come help us design a nature playground for the first time *ever* at a St Paul public park!
Big Wonder Child Care and Ramsey Hill Association are collaborating with the City of Saint Paul to design and create a nature-based playground in a portion of the Holy Tot. We know this playground is beloved by the community and would love family input!
Come share ideas as we envision a dynamic, nature-based addition to a beautiful pocket park for young children.
Saturday, May 4th 2:00-4:00 pm at Big Wonder Child Care
60 N Kent St Saint Paul MN 55102
We will conclude our meeting with a tour of Holy Lot Playground (400 feet down the road) to share ideas and visions on-site.
Why we feel this is important:
Modern lifestyles and urban environments have erased nature-based play many adults experienced as children. We hope to create a natural playscape that sparks wonder, creativity, connection and innovation; where young children (toddlers) feel inspired and in community with the natural world.
"Research indicates that, when children play and learn in nature, they do so with more vigor, engagement, imagination, and cooperation than in wholly artificial environments, and that symptoms of attention deficit and depression are reduced. Experts agree that children need access to nature the same way they need good nutrition and adequate sleep." (www.nwf.org/Kids-and-Family/Connecting-Kids-and-Nature/Nature-Play-Spaces)
Support Big Wonder
Consider Donating Today
We need to raise $1,500 to be able to provide scholarships to families so that children can be in a nurturing child care environment while parents work to provide stability and development for themselves and their loved ones. Quality, accessible child care truly is transformative for communities.
It allows for gender equity and wealth mobility, especially for those who have been the most disenfranchised and underserved in our communities.
Quality childcare also nurtures healthy, pro-social brain development that will be the foundation for all future learning in the child. The vast majority of the brain is developed before age five, so we need to get it right. This is why the return on investment in child care has a 1 to 12 return! It's virtually unparalleled because the impact of quality child care on children and families cannot be understated.
Big Wonder in the News
Minnesota Public Radio
MPR interviewed Celeste Finn, our director, to gain a providor’s perspective on legislation to make early childhood education more accessible and affordable to families across the State.
Advocating for transformative change to recognize the rights of teachers, families, and children is the cornerstone of Big Wonder. It is exciting to see such important conversations taking place across the state.
Minnesota Reformer
“We believe early childhood education is the most important education anyone can ever receive, and children in Minnesota deserve better. We’re a non-profit on a big mission: to provide exceptional care and education to children; to provide livable wages, comprehensive benefits, and a healthy, rewarding work environment to teachers; and to provide sliding-scale fees to be accessible to families of diverse incomes.
The first part, providing exceptional care to children, is something we can and are achieving. Our two other goals — providing fair compensation for our teachers while being accessible to families of diverse incomes, is more challenging because it requires funding streams beyond family tuition. Why? Because high quality early education costs more than most families can afford”…
Race Conciousness in
Early Childhood Education
We offer professional development on Race Conciousness in early childhood settings. In collaboration with other schools, educators, families, and administrators, we have developed a core framework and set of practices to make discussions about race in early childhood meaningful, rich, and accessible to children , teachers, and parents. Contact us to learn more about the Arise Framework.
Big Wonder Nondiscrimination Policy
Big Wonder will not practice or permit any unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, physical handicap or disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. Big Wonder admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It doesn't discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.