Survey shows Waupaca’s favorite child care center
Sunny Day Childcare and Preschool has been named Best of Waupaca’s best child care center.
The nonprofit day care center has served the community for over 45 years.
With 14 classrooms, an outdoor play area and a large gym, the facility accommodates children from six weeks old until 12. It is licensed for 194 children and enrolls about 350.
“We try to be very family-oriented as a business,” said Rhonda Melby, facility director for the past 16 years. “We understand that staff may also have little children and we try to be very flexible with our scheduling.”
Sunny Day provides transportation for their children to attend swimming lessons, soccer, gymnastics, summer school and other events.
“We go above and beyond or families’ needs,” Melby said. “We try to do as much as we can to accommodate our families.”
The facility also has a good working relationship with other educational partners. Transportation to and from Sunny Day is provided by the Waupaca School District and Head Start.
“We also have 4 year old kindergarten onsite, which makes it convenient for parents,” Melby said.
The Waupaca School District provides onsite therapy for speech and other needs at Sunny Day. In addition, Sunny Day rents space for an after school program for students at Waupaca Learning Center.
Melby believes that longevity is the key to Sunny Day’s success.
“We get children as little as peanuts and they stay with us through age 12,” she said.
Both Melby and her assistant director, Angel Schussman, found childcare a good fit for them.
“We both started in the childcare field because we were able to bring our young children with us to work,” Melby said. “For me, it’s all about family.”
“We are very family oriented,” Schussman said.
When she graduated from high school, Melby enrolled in the early childhood education program at Fox Valley Technical College. She has now been in the child care field for 23 years.
“I fell in love with it and felt this was where I needed to be,” she said.
The focus at Sunny Day is making sure children have a fun time while learning.
“The staff is here for the children,” said Alanna Schueller, teacher. “We all want to see them excel and grow.”
“We have great team work here,” said Sue Olson, teacher. “It’s not a job – everybody comes here to play.”
Sunny Day Childcare and Preschool is located at 1932 Godfrey Drive. For more information, call 715-258-7901.