Colleen's Child Care dedicated to Fred

Colleen Leskinen talks June 3 with guests, including kids anxious for cake, at the dedication of her new Colleen's Child Care Center near her home in Nespelem, where she's been providing daycare services for years. Leskinen said the new facility would be dedicated to her late husband Fred Leskinen, who originally set a goal of building the facility instead of housing the daycare in their home. It's been 17 years, said Pete Palmer, Leskinen's daughter, since they started seeking funding. Palmer pushed that process through for the last year and a half, Leskinen said. She was able to submit receipts for reimbursement of some expenses through a state Department of Commerce Early Learning Foundation grant for about $400,000. Carmella Bowden, with the Child Care Aware, said the new facility will open with highest quality rating in the state system because "for the last nine years, [Leskinen] has maintained highest quality and consistency." See Roger Lucas' impressions of the enterprise on page 2. - Scott Hunter photo