STURGEON BAY — Three weeks ago, the Barker Child Development Center announced it would not reopen after shutting down for safety reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's when the center's former director, Alexis Fuller, started thinking about taking on the lease.
Come mid-September, the name will change but the Barker building on Egg Harbor Road will welcome kids again as Fuller opens the Door Community Child Development Center.
Door County YMCA owned the Barker Center, but the organization was forced to cut costs to make up for revenue lost during the pandemic, which included shutting down the center that struggled financially even before COVID-19. The organization gave Fuller the go-ahead to use everything inside the building she's grown very familiar with.
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"It really helps truly knowing all the teachers and working directly with the families," Fuller said. "The business aspect is something I've always loved, too. But once you know how to fill the needs, but on a personal level, it makes it easy to make these decisions. Being the director prior, I'm just going back to my position."
With the center no longer tied to the YMCA, Fuller can pay employees higher wages than before. She said staff retention was difficult in the past and employees were not getting paid what they deserve, though she did not blame that on the local YMCA.
Fuller credited the "really efficient budget," and her Nicolet Bank-employed sister Bridget Starr who helped, for being able to pay higher wages. The center will not offer employee health care because, Fuller said, it's a great perk but not always affordable for everyone's needs. She said with the extra income, it will be more cost-effective for staff to find a plan that's appropriate for them. The center will offer staff paid sick leave and vacation.
Fuller plans to contact staff who worked at the center before it closed and advertise position openings shortly. She will host a meeting with the previous staff to explain what roles will look like with the transition.
The Door Community Child Development Center plans to use state subsidy funds to help cover child-care tuition for families that need assistance based on income. Fuller said she also hopes to host a few annual fundraisers that will create scholarships for children that take into account other hurdles families are facing, along with finances.
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When the Door County YMCA announced the Barker Center closure, Board President Mike Felhofer pointed out the nationwide shortage of affordable child care. It's not different in Door County — there are four active, licensed group child-care facilities spread out on the peninsula, according to lists on the Door County Library and Destination Door County websites.
Fuller said the shortage isn't a result of lacking physical space, but a lack of teachers in the area.
"We have to work really hard to make this a promising career," she said. "You can come here and work in child care and make a decent wage. Once we establish that with staff, we won't have a problem taking care of the child care shortage."
Fuller received ample community support in the "fast" three weeks since she decided to sublease the Barker building, with significant backing from the Door County Medical Center and many others.
Registration opens in mid-August and Fuller expects to welcome kids on Sept. 7. She said child-care centers were "ahead of" COVID-19 because they already had thorough cleaning protocols in place.
The center plans to welcome up to 90 children aged six weeks to 4. Fuller posted a waitlist on the center's Facebook page where people can add their children before registration.
Contact Sammy Gibbons at (920) 431-8396 or sgibbons@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @sammykgibbons or Facebook at https://ift.tt/2S0Tyty.
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