Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (March 6, 2024) – On Friday, March 1st, 2024, Children First Development Center, Inc. (Children First) completed the purchase of the building and property at 1743 Egg Harbor Road, Sturgeon Bay.
“We are incredibly thankful to the Door County YMCA for the opportunity to purchase the facility
formerly known as the Barker Center. Being that the facility was built to be a childcare center, means we have minimal remodeling. We’ll be adding a wall to fully enclose two classrooms, putting in new flooring, and painting the interior; rather minimal in terms of cost and time,” stated Kayla Lehman, Administrator of Children First.
Lehman continued that “All of this would not be possible without the amazing donors and foundations that have invested in our project. Thus far, we have obtained over $200,000 of the needed $750,000 for the facility purchase, remodeling, and equipment/materials needed to obtain state licensing. We are awaiting our 501(c)(3) status and are thankful to United Way of Door County for continuing to service as our fiscal sponsor.”
Children First is seeking licensing to provide care for up to 76 children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old and already has a waitlist of 85 children.
“We are also in the process of hiring lead, assistant, and float teachers,” said Lorie Torbeck, Center Director of Children First. “We have already hired some truly fantastic teachers and are looking to continue to build our team with individuals that are passionate about early childhood education.”
If you are interested in donating, learning more about Children First, being added to the waitlist for care, or discussing employment opportunities, please contact Children First at
info@childrenfirstdc.com.
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