Proud to partner with Jasmin Child Care and Preschool

When Soma Rivera moved from Puerto Rico to Fargo, North Dakota, she found a home away from home in Jasmin Child Care and Preschool. The nonprofit provides culturally competent early education services in a multilingual and multicultural environment to children ages 6-12 in low-income, new American and BIPOC families.

For the past three years, Rivera’s daughters, Alexandra Sofia Heyen, 3, and Richell Sofía Heyen, 5, have worked with Jasmin educators and care staff who speak up to eight languages. Alexandra and Richell are immersed with families and fellow students of diverse ethnicities and religious affiliations, Rivera said, and they hear parents who speak with an accent like their mom.

“To me, they are like family, and they give care to the whole family,” Rivera said of Jasmin’s owners and educators.

Along with creating a nurturing environment for children to thrive socially, emotionally and academically, Jasmin Child Care and Preschool provides an equitable opportunity for Fargo’s thriving new American population to secure stable employment.

So, when the Fargo-Moorhead community identified a need for quality, affordable child care at nontraditional hours, Essentia Health responded.

Essentia contributed $50,000, which supported the expansion of Jasmin Child Care and Preschool, as well as assisted the extension of its child care hours to 24 hours a day, five days a week. 

Quality, affordable child care is paramount in Essentia’s ability to attract, hire and retain quality employees, and Jasmin’s nontraditional hours help ensure options for its colleagues. 

“We are grateful for the support of community partners like Essentia Health, who share our commitment to investing in children’s futures. Together, we can empower every child, regardless of their background, with the opportunities and support they need to thrive,” said Fatma Hussein of Jasmin Child Care and Preschool.