ONTARIO — Natasha Repp’s impact on local child care is far from finished.
Before she cut the ceremonial red ribbon during Friday’s unveiling of Clover Hill Early Learning Center’s second location, the Ontario child care provider’s founder and CEO confirmed her aspirations to pursue a third center.
Repp said she plans to open a third location, but the timing for that is yet to be determined.
“This is my passion — helping families and helping young children get their start and to get them ready to transition to kindergarten,” she said. “I’m very grateful to be able to open up my second location.”
Clover Hill ELC’s second center — known as the Allen Campus — will serve children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, both during the academic year and summer months.
The new location can accommodate 46 children. But when part-time attendees are factored into the equation, Repp said they’ll likely provide child care for 50 to 52 kids.
Enrollment currently sits at 50 percent and Repp expects the number of open positions to shrink as the center nears its estimated opening date of Aug. 18.
Repp thanked her husband, Ross, and two sons, Owen and Carson, Friday for their help renovating the new center and having it ready to serve local youth before the new school year begins.
She also shared gratitude for her mother.
“She has been instrumental and without her I wouldn’t be able to do any of this, the first or the second (center),” Repp said.
‘Building a community of learners’
Jennifer Wagner, director of member services for the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, said Repp is making a difference in the lives of local youth.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero agreed.
He said the importance of good child care is just as significant as the availability of quality care for families.
Adam Gongwer, Ontario’s safety service director, thanked Repp for investing in Ontario again. He said the city was slightly concerned the building was going to sit empty.
The Allen Drive building was formerly the site of the Tribune-Courier, which began publication as the Ontario Tribune on Oct. 12, 1961, according to the paper’s website.
“You guys have created something fantastic here,” he said. “You’re going to continue a great history of business here in this little neighborhood nestled off of Park Avenue and hopefully your third location will be in Ontario as well.”
(Below are more photos from Friday’s open house at Clover Hill Early Learning Center’s second location in Ontario. The story continues below.)
Clover Hill ELC origins
After she first saw a need for more child care in the area, Repp opened Clover Hill ELC’s first location in November 2023 along Park Avenue West in Ontario.
The former principal of Madison Early Childhood Education Center, Repp leaned on her more than 20 years of early childhood education experience.
She and her family spent nearly six months renovating the center, while also assembling a staff of teachers with degrees in education or a background working in child development.
The original location opened its doors to the public during an open house celebration on Nov. 9, 2023.
Interested in reading more about child care in Richland, Ashland and Knox counties? Visit the landing page for our latest solutions journalism project, It Takes A Village — a deep dive into the region’s growing child care challenges.
