Community-Funded Cub Cadet Building Begins New Chapter

LATIMER – A building that has served generations of children and families in the CAL community is beginning a new chapter after more than two decades of supporting local child care.

The former Cub Cadet Child Care building, originally established through a community-wide effort, has officially been returned to the City of Latimer after all child care operations were relocated into the CAL Elementary School building.

According to Abby Meyer, CAL Elementary principal and Cub Cadet Child Care director, more than 20 years ago, community members, the CAL Foundation and the CAL Community School District recognized the need for quality child care in the Coulter, Alexander and Latimer area. Working together, the school district provided land while the CAL Foundation and local residents raised the funds needed to purchase the building and equip it for operation.

Meyer said the effort reflected a shared belief that access to dependable child care would encourage young families to remain in the community, helping strengthen enrollment at CAL schools and support the area’s future.

For years, Cub Cadet Child Care served children beginning at 6 weeks old through fifth grade, becoming an important resource for working families across the district.

As operating costs steadily increased, however, maintaining the standalone child care center became more challenging. 

Meyer said the Cub Cadet Child Care Board began discussions with CAL school administrators and the school board more than five years ago to discuss transferring responsibility for the program to the district. Three years ago, the transition became a reality as the school assumed daily operations of the child care program.

At that time, preschool and school-age child care moved into the elementary school while infants and toddlers remained in the original Cub Cadet building.

Last year, the final phase of the transition was completed when infant and toddler care also moved into CAL Elementary, bringing every age group under one roof.

Meyer said housing all age groups in the school has reduced operating costs while allowing the district to increase staff salaries, helping retain highly qualified employees. The consolidation has also expanded the number of children the program can serve.

Another significant advantage has been safety.

“The Cub Cadet building was not secure like schools are,” Meyer said. “Now all children are in a secure and safe building.”

With the transition complete, the district contacted the City of Latimer last year to determine whether it would be interested in the former Cub Cadet building. Meyer said the city expressed interest, and the building has now been returned to the community.

The hope is that the structure will once again serve local residents by becoming a home for a CAL family.

Meyer said the transition is especially meaningful because the building itself was made possible through the generosity and dedication of the community.

“It is very special that the building the community worked so hard to fund is now going to be a home for another CAL family,” Meyer said.

Although the building’s purpose is changing, Meyer said its legacy remains the same – serving families and strengthening the community.

“All of the decisions that were made were to serve families and the community,” Meyer said. “It is important to grow and change with the times even if it comes with difficult decisions.”

While the Cub Cadet building will no longer house classrooms filled with young learners, its history stands as a reminder of what can be accomplished when a community comes together to invest in its future. Now, as it begins its next chapter, the building will continue serving the community in a different, but equally meaningful way.