Kathleen and Tom Reed, along with their daughter, settle into their new home in Jay, where they are launching Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center. After facing obstacles in Auburn, the family found a welcoming community and the perfect space for their nature-based education program. Submitted photo

JAY — After years of frustration dealing with Auburn city officials, Kathleen Reed and her husband, Tom, have found a fresh start in Jay, where they are launching the Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center.

The couple had initially planned to open a nature-based child care and education center near Lake Auburn, but after two years of obstacles, they decided to relocate. “After that headache with the city of Auburn, we put our house up for sale and within a few days we had it under contract,” Kathleen Reed said. “We found an amazing property in Jay that we loved that was for sale by owner. The owner was actually taking the sign down the day we called.”

Auburn city officials had required extensive permitting, including a farm plan, phosphorus control measures, and multiple approvals related to the property’s location in the watershed. “They made it clear after multiple attempts to keep us from opening our businesses at our property over two years that they were not as excited about solving their city’s huge child care needs as they said they were initially,” she said.

When they moved to Jay, the difference in reception was immediate. “The new property is in a town that welcomed us with open arms. They recognize the value of the educational options and horseback riding and training that we bring to the region,” Reed said. “The location is quieter than our former Lake Auburn area property, has better parking, has flatter access and more room for our horses, and the house is larger with more room for the learning center.”

Kathleen Reed, her husband Tom, and their daughter stand September 2024 in front of their previous home in Auburn. They spent two years trying to open a nature-based learning center. After facing setbacks from city officials, they relocated to Jay to bring their vision to life in a more supportive community. Sun Journal file photo

Unlike Auburn officials, Jay town leaders were supportive from the start. “Immediately we reached out to the town office of Jay, and they invited us to not only participate in the local Halloween ‘Boo Bash,’ but they also asked us to have a booth so we could tell everyone about our new endeavors,” Reed said. “We had so much fun there and talked with about 200 people about the learning center and horse options, and were met with everyone giving us encouragement and saying it was great we were coming to town because those were needed in their area.”

Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere echoed the town’s enthusiasm for the new learning center. “I had the pleasure to meet Kathleen and hear about the Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center,” LaFreniere said. “The Center brings valuable opportunities and more options for families and children in this area, and we are happy to welcome them to our community and watch them grow and thrive here.”

Reed also reached out to Chris Fournier, who runs Crayon Country Preschool next door to their new location off East Jay Road, to make sure they wouldn’t be stepping on toes. “I thought it might be awkward to have a learning center come into the same neighborhood as an existing center,” Reed said. “But she welcomed us with open arms – literally hugging us the first time we stopped by to meet their family, the same day we toured the new property. Since that time, they’ve made us feel like family.”

Fournier expressed excitement about working alongside the Reeds. “Love the energy and excitement of our new neighbors,” she said. “It started with great respect of reaching out to me before they bought their house, and we are looking forward to future collaboration between our programs. We are happy to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

The preschool and the learning center plan to collaborate. “We have plans to work on projects together and visit each other’s land so her students can enjoy our horses and other animals, and we can all enjoy each other’s company,” Reed said.

The Town Office staff was also helpful as they worked through licensing. Reed said they met with Office Manager/Town Clerk Ronda Palmer at the Town Office to look at the property maps and discuss any ordinance restrictions, “and she graciously told us we were welcome to bring our businesses, and they would not restrict what we were trying to do. She also quickly signed off on our required paperwork for the state child care licensing, and we were able to salvage the child care infrastructure grant we’d already obtained for the Auburn property, to use in Jay.”

Before moving to Maine, Reed operated Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center in Lewis County, Washington, where it provided hands-on, multiage learning with an emphasis on outdoor education. “Our daughter has thrived in our learning center environment, as opposed to when she was in the public schools in Washington State where we used to live and she was constantly ‘in trouble,’” Reed said. “At Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center, she is able to be a leader and is passionate about the nature learning experiences. We hope to share this same support and learning theories with other kids who also need to wiggle.”

Reed, who has decades of experience in education, said the Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center is structured to support homeschoolers, nature-based learning, and students who don’t thrive in traditional classroom settings. “We will offer nature-based learning for 4- to 10-year-olds, with full-time attendance and part-time attendance options,” Reed said. “We are excited to offer support for home-schoolers, enrichment, and education by a certified teacher/principal with decades of teaching experience and a background in gifted education.”

“We have a passion for supporting students with challenging learning experiences and believe many kids who are wiggly in traditional schools need more opportunities for running around outdoors,” she said. “We hope to be outside almost every single day for at least some hiking and exploring fun.”

A key aspect of the program is integrating farm life into education. “We also include farm-based learning opportunities, with minihorses, ponies and full-size horses, as well as chickens, bunnies, cats, dogs and so forth,” Reed said. “The students will mingle with animals daily and get to handle and take care of them, so they get to interact in ways that make them more comfortable with working alongside them.”

The center is taking summer camp enrollments and offering trial weeks this spring. “Families can see whether we are a good fit for their needs without committing to the school year terms until they know what we have to offer,” Reed said. “We are excited to start filling those spaces and to start registering for the fall, where students can attend the full-day and part-time options on a quarterly basis.”

The learning center was originally developed to support the Reeds’ adopted daughter, who struggled in traditional schools.

As for the final licensing requirements, the center is nearly ready. “We have completed all of the required tasks for child care licensing,” Reed said. “We are just waiting on paperwork from state inspectors. We don’t expect any issues and hope to have the final licensing completed in the next couple of weeks.”

Beyond the learning center, Reed is working on transferring her law license to Maine. “I have practiced family law, education law, contracts and real estate law, and am eager to complete licensing requirements to transfer my license to Maine so I can offer these services here eventually,” she said. “Hopefully families will feel like having a learning center program that is owned and run by someone with a legal background that offers them more security because they can count on us working hard to meet and exceed any standards.”

She has also taken on an advocacy role in early childhood education. “I am new on the (Life Enrichment Advancing People) board, so I am just getting started as an advocate on the state level,” Reed said. “The board is comprised of many different early learning professionals. In the LEAP role, I’ve been able to meet with other professionals across the state, as well as participate in discussions with leaders in the community and Legislature, including Senate President Mattie Daughtry.”

LEAP, which is based in Farmington, works with those with intellectual and development disabilities or autism to provide personalized assistance in achieving that goal.

Looking back on their time in Auburn, Reed said the experience was disappointing but ultimately led them to a better opportunity. “It was sad to find out that Auburn is not as ‘business friendly’ as we’d been led to believe,” she said. “We are just relieved to be in Jay, where we already feel like part of an amazing community.”

Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center is hosting an open house Sunday to introduce families to their programs and facilities. “So far, we have dozens of people who have inquired about our educational programs and horseback opportunities here, as well as over a dozen families and local leaders confirmed with appointments to tour the learning center,” Reed said. “We are excited to finally bring this vision to life.”

For more information, visit Sweet Tomatoes Learning Center.

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