History
In 1989, Giraffe Laugh opened in Hyde Park as a non-profit, drop-in, childcare center. Here we provided respite care to parents who needed it for mental health reasons, drop-in care for parents who volunteered in the community, and drop-in options for parents searching for jobs or housing if they were homeless. No permanent care was available when Giraffe Laugh first opened which slowly changed when it was obvious children were bonding and had to leave the program once their parents needed more permanent care.
In 1992, Giraffe Laugh became a full-time, nonprofit preschool for children 6 weeks to 6 years old. We began ensuring school readiness, empowering families and building strong futures on a permanent daily basis.
In 1995, Goodies bought the building and Giraffe Laugh relocated to 901 Resseguie and increased services by 20%.
In 2005, Giraffe Laugh partnered with the City of Boise to provide care to homeless children from the shelters near Grand Avenue.
In 2010, Giraffe Laugh partnered with the Salvation Army and the Boise School District to provide care to the pregnant and parenting teens on the Marian Pritchett Campus.
In 2014, Giraffe Laugh ran a pilot summer program at the Marian Pritchett Campus to close the summer learning gap. The program has continued since.
In 2015, Giraffe Laugh opened another center to serve 75 of the 550 children on its waiting list in need of quality, affordable childcare and preschool opportunities.
In 2019, Giraffe Laugh celebrated 30 years of impacting children in our community.
We can see the future from here!
Giraffe Laugh is a local nonprofit that provides early childhood education and nurturing to 150 Treasure Valley children annually by ensuring school readiness, empowering families, and building strong futures.
Giraffe Laugh has two full time centers serving children from birth to five years old, a full-time preschool program that serves children from three and a half to five years old, and a summer program that serves children that are of school-age.