Little Explorers Learning Academy Reopens at Rathdrum Church After Devastating Fire

A tip from one of their own parents put Jill Verburg and Shawna Disterhaupt back in the classroom weeks after a fire destroyed the building where Little Explorers Learning Academy had operated. The daycare and preschool reopened at New Life Church in Rathdrum roughly two weeks after the March 15 blaze, keeping the disruption short for enrolled families and staff.

The early-morning fire struck the building Little Explorers had been using at The River Church, ending operations without warning. Verburg received a call in the predawn hours and arrived to watch the building "go up in smoke." She and Disterhaupt, who founded the program together five years ago, had no immediate alternative site and no timetable for when, or whether, the original building could be used again.

Working parents faced an immediate gap. Families had to piece together alternative care arrangements while the owners reached out to find a temporary home for the program. The solution came from within their own community: a parent suggested New Life Church in Rathdrum, and a deal was quickly struck to resume operations there, allowing teachers to deliver curriculum and play-based instruction in the new space.

As of early April, Verburg and Disterhaupt had still not been permitted to re-enter the damaged building. From the outside, the space appeared frozen in time, its contents still in place but access blocked while fire investigators, insurers and building officials evaluate the structure. The owners are coordinating with all three as they work toward either reconstruction or permanent relocation.

Little Explorers will continue operating from New Life Church in the interim. The two-week turnaround from disaster to reopening reflects both the owners' resolve to keep the business intact and the willingness of a Rathdrum congregation to open its doors on short notice for the families who needed it.