Children First child care center reaches deal to buy former Barker Center property in Sturgeon Bay

Door County's newest child care center will operate in a familiar facility to parents.

Children First Development Center, Inc. has reached a deal with Door County YMCA to purchase the former Barker Center property, 1743 Egg Harbor Road in Sturgeon Bay.

“As we completed our market research of the child care need in Door County, wrote our business plan, and scouted for potential properties, we continually kept circling back to what an ideal scenario it would be to purchase the former Barker Center," Kayla Lehman, administrator of Children First, said. "The facility allows us to start serving children and families the quickest, with the least updates required of any property in Door County."

The building was being used by Door Community Child Development Center, but they have shifted operations to an expanded facility at 5617 Gordon Road.

The property previously housed the Door County YMCA's Barker Child Development Center and Sneakers & Boots child care.

Knowing the YMCA would be without a renter, Lehman said Children First approached them with the idea that they buy the building outright.

The YMCA agreed. Lehman didn't disclose the purchase price, but hopes the sale will close March 1, with the goal that they can provide licensed group care for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old by this summer.

"One of the great things is that it is already set up for child care so there is minimum construction that we are going to need," Lehman said.

Among the work Lehman said they plan to do by June are adding a new permanent wall to one larger room to help reduce the noise, update the flooring, and update the kitchen equipment.

"Luckily my husband is in the construction industry," Lehman said, "so we have quite a few contacts, and we’re also in a community (where) a lot of people recognize the need for child care and everybody kind of pitches in and it helps to get things done."

Children First plans to provide care for 76 children and already has a waitlist of more than 45 children.

Lehman will handle the business side of Children First, while Lorie Torbeck will be the center director.

Torbeck has more than 50 years of working with early childhood development, and had previously cared for Lehman's children, where she "was one of our favorite teachers." Torbeck also had a certified in-home child care facility in the Fox Valley.

“Adding another licensed, quality child care center is going to not only positively impact the children we care for, but it will be a huge sigh of relief to families, especially those just trying to provide basic needs for their families," Torbeck said.

Children First plans to have 15 teachers – six lead teachers, six assistant teachers and three float teachers that can help fill in different areas.

Children First has begun a fundraising campaign that will cover the purchase of the property, construction updates to the facility, and equipment and materials needed for the facility to become licensed. United Way of Door County is serving as fiscal sponsor for Children First until 501(c)(3) status is granted and are accepting donations on behalf of Children First.

For more information about donating, learning more about child care offerings or discussing employment opportunities, email [email protected]. Families interested in being added to the waitlist should email the names and birthdates of their children.

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Children First to buy YMCA's Barker Center property in Sturgeon Bay