Babies crying, toddlers learning, preschoolers preparing for Kindergarten…Little Sprouts Learning Center in Alcoa, Tennessee invites their families to “Come Grow With Us”. This 8,500 square foot childcare facility offers seven classrooms, a cafeteria, and two playgrounds. Ms. Ashley Hill, Owner and Director, says her learning center is a “one-of-a-kind childcare facility”.  

Little Sprouts Learning Center is one of two childcare facilities in Alcoa. Childcare is such an important part of the community that Ms. Hill knew she could not go another summer having to constantly repair a broken HVAC unit. She was extremely grateful to her father for assisting with repairs in the past, but it was his fond interest in energy efficient products that led her to reach out to the Knoxville Area Office for assistance.

In Fall 2023, Ashley applied for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant to upgrade lighting and a HVAC/PRAC unit at the Little Sprouts Learning Center. The REAP grant provides funding to assist farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses in developing energy efficiency improvements to their operations.

In January 2024, Ms. Hill’s project was approved and obligated, and installation finished up in late March. The impact was clear, “We’re so blessed to have found this program,” Hill said. “Now we can continue to provide exceptional, educational childcare in a comfortable, energy efficient environment!”