Recently a letter was sent to parents whose children attend the Cooperation Station Daycare (CSD) and the Wiggle Worms daycare (which is located in the CSD basement), that both will be closed at the end of May 2017.
The letter was sent from the YMCA who partners with Cook County Youth Agency (CCYAC) and Cook County Community Education to help meet the demands of childcare in the community.
Located at 404 5th Avenue W., Grand Marais, Cooperation Station has been open since 1997 or 1998, said one of the founding members and once again a current member of the board, Jeff Kern. Currently, 17 children attend CSD, and seven receive daycare at Wiggle Worms, which was opened last November by the YMCA.
The closure, if it happens, will save about $20,000 per year in reduced rent, utility, maintenance and plowing costs.
Cooperation Station has been managed by the Y since last fall. Attempts to find funds to purchase the daycare building failed, and the Y isn’t interested in leasing or renting the space said YMCA Director Emily Marshall.
Families have until May 15 to notify the Y if they wish to have their children enrolled for the summer at the Y, which will guarantee them a spot in the fall.
The first board of directors consisted of Sandy Stover, Holly Young, Jeff Kern, Kathy Kallinen, Jennifer Schultz, Gina Todd, and Shelé Toftey.
Kern said the daycare building is owned by the CSD, which is a 501c3. He said there are loans from the county’s Revolving Loan Fund and a loan from North Shore Credit Union that are still owed, and if the business closes, the building would have to be sold to pay off those notes, but he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“Last spring, the Cooperation Station Daycare approached us to ask for our help to continue providing child care programming for families because they were at risk of closing,” said Marshall in a letter to the families.
“At the time, one of our strategic priorities was to expand and sustain childcare options in the county. As we did not have any space available on-site for another childcare program, we decided to explore this partnership. The YMCA Advisory Council made the decision to enter into a nine-month lease with Cooperation Station and to assume the financial risk of operating an offsite childcare program. We did this to allow time for Cooperation Station to explore options for sustainability while still providing a service to the families that would otherwise have no place to go. Throughout the duration of the lease, the YMCA was tasked with making a decision about ownership of the property or relocating the program if ownership was not feasible (long-term rent was not the intent/solution). Attempts to secure funding to purchase the home were not awarded which forced the Cook County Youth Agency Coalition to explore other options. The YMCA and Community Education started to brainstorm different licensing models, staffing models, and spaces. Working together has brought to light the availability of a great on-site space at the YMCA and an operating model that would allow us to have three thriving childcare programs on-site, retain current staff, and have the ability to serve the same number of children,” said Marshall.
“The YMCA advisory council met in March to make a decision, and the decision was tabled at the time so we could gather more input. The YMCA advisory council meets every other month, so we called a special session on April 17th to make a final decision as we knew the lease was soon coming to an end and we wanted to give families as much lead time as possible regarding our next steps.”
But Kern said the notice from the Y was abrupt.
“When we first came to the Y we were struggling. Our director had left and we were trying to find a new director. I guess lots of things happened during this time. We saw the Y as a possible way out. They would take over our space and run it and hire our employees. We saw it as cooperation and collaboration. They were going to give us time to catch our breath as we looked for ways to keep it open. I’m not saying what happened is anybody’s fault. But I think it would be better if there was a mix of daycare in the community and not just one provider. I think it would be healthy for the community if we can find a way to keep the Cooperation Station Daycare open. The community is in desperate need of daycare providers.”
Marshall said a new childcare model would “ensure a transition plan that will not eliminate any spots for those that want to continue care with us. With the new model, we will have three childcare spaces on-site at the Y.
“Little Ladybugs will continue to be an infant/ toddler program serving seven children between the approximate ages of 4 months-16 months. Busy Bees will become a specialized toddler program serving 10 children with the approximate ages of 16 months-36 months.”
And, “The new space will be designed for preschool children serving only children between the ages 3-5. Children will ‘age-up’ to the most appropriate room when they are ready which will be determined by age and/ or developmental factors (walking, feeding self, toilet training, etc.).We are also working on a staffing transition plan. No positions will be eliminated; so all staff currently working with the program (across all four sites) are invited to move to the new location if they choose. We will be working with providers to learn about their preferences. Our plan is to have two infant providers, two toddler providers, a Pre-K teacher, several aides/ floaters, evening/weekend providers, a school-age childcare coordinator, and a childcare director.”
Jourdan Engesser is currently employed as a Cooperation Station Daycare provider. She said she enjoys working with the kids and feels a sense of loss at the doors shutting. “We don’t have age segregation here. Little kids learn by watching the bigger kids. Drop in care is available and after school care is available. This is a family based daycare center, and I am sad to see it close.”
As for Kern, he hopes some community support can be found and Cooperation Station Daycare doors can remain open for many more years to come.
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