Community effort saves local daycare from closing

IOLA – Young Impressions Daycare will remain open after a community effort helped secure the funding needed to keep the longtime child care center operating.

The effort began last fall after the owner of the daycare’s building announced plans to sell the property, which has housed the daycare since 1992. Local residents, businesses and philanthropic organizations responded by forming Iola-Scandinavia Daycare Properties Inc., a nonprofit organization created to purchase the building and keep the daycare operating, according to information provided by the Iola-Scandinavia Chamber of Commerce.

The current owner agreed to sell the building at 535 Water St. for a price below its market value, helping make the purchase possible, according to the Chamber. The $250,000 property sale is expected to be finalized this week. The nonprofit plans to pay off the building’s debt within five to 10 years to help keep the daycare licensed and affordable for local families.

The effort was made possible by major donations from the Krause Foundation, the Doll family and resident Greg Loescher, which covered the down payment and helped keep future mortgage costs manageable. Community Insurance and Premier Community Bank also provided favorable financing terms to help secure the transaction, according to the Chamber.

Keeping Young Impressions open gives families in the Iola-Scandinavia area another child care option in a county with relatively few licensed providers. Young Impressions is one of only two licensed child care providers in Iola, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ licensed child care directory.

Waupaca County has 25 licensed child care providers, compared with 92 in neighboring Outagamie County and 78 in Winnebago County. Other rural counties have fewer providers, including 14 in Waushara County and 12 in Shawano County.

The community will celebrate Young Impressions’ continued operation with an open house and ribbon-cutting at 3 p.m. Aug. 28 at the daycare.

The open house will also include a donation from the Sprangers family to Young Impressions Daycare in memory of Lenore Sprangers, who was known for her love of caring for others, especially children.