Marion Daycare Inc.

07/29/2026

Chalk Fun Today!

07/29/2026

Chalk Fun Today!!

07/28/2026

With the upcoming retirement of a local daycare center, we know many of our families are facing sudden decisions regarding childcare. We want to extend our support during this transition.

To help meet this need, the Marion School District is exploring an expansion of our current before- and after-school programming. Our goal is not to compete with local childcare providers, but rather to fill a specific gap and help keep our families from having to seek care outside of the Marion community. We remain committed to working collaboratively with area childcare centers to support our local childcare needs.

Exploring the Mustang Sunrise & Sunset Program
Currently, Mustang Academy offers free academic activities from 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM and 3:00 PM – 4:50 PM (with bus transportation provided home after 4:50 PM).

We are considering adding extended hours called Mustang Sunrise & Mustang Sunset to cover additional time slots:
Extended Morning Hours: 5:30 AM – 7:00 AM
Extended Evening Hours: 4:50 PM – 5:30 PM
Full-Day Care: We are looking into what would be necessary to provide coverage to Mustang Sunrise & Sunset students during Professional Development (PD) days and Snow/Weather Days. During extreme weather events such as the ones we experienced this past spring, the program would not be offered.

Key Details to Know:
Cost: Mustang Academy (7:00–7:45 AM / 3:00–4:50 PM) will remain free of charge. The extended Mustang Sunrise & Mustang Sunset would carry a modest fee to cover additional staffing and operational costs. Because Marion School District is not a licensed childcare provider with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, this program is not eligible for the Wisconsin child care subsidy program, but may be eligible for the Wisconsin child and dependent care tax credit. Please consult with your tax advisor for specifics.
Automatic Enrollment: Any student enrolled in the paid Mustang Sunrise & Sunset program will automatically be enrolled in Mustang Academy.

To help us gauge interest and plan effectively, please take a moment to complete the brief survey below by August 5, 2026.

https://forms.gle/PR27Hymn3NzYA24G7

07/16/2026

Help Us Expand Child Care in Marion

Because of the incredible community support we've received this week, many people have asked how they can help.

Every donation—large or small—helps us move closer to opening our doors to more families.

❤️ Donate here: https://givebutter.com/untitled-campaign-jjodcr

📢 Can't donate? Please share this post.

By Marion Day Care Inc

07/15/2026

https://www.wbay.com/2026/07/15/marion-families-face-child-care-shortage-after-city-council-denies-daycare-expansion/
The article is better than the video. More in depth.

The vote came following a 2+ hour meeting on July 13. Marion Daycare had applied for the permit to purchase a home on Water Street and expand its licensed capacity from 30 to 45 children.

07/14/2026

🏡 HELP US FIND OUR NEXT HOME! 🏡

By now, many of you have probably heard that our recent expansion plans fell through after the Marion City Council voted not to approve the conditions needed for us to move forward with the property we had planned to purchase.

But here's what I want everyone to know:

We are not giving up. Not even close.

We are still committed to expanding Marion Day Care, creating more child care spaces for local families, and investing in the future of this community. So now, we're opening the door to possibilities we may not even know exist yet.

Do you own—or know of—a property in or near Marion that might be available?

Maybe it's not currently listed for sale. Maybe the owner has been quietly thinking about retiring, downsizing, relocating, or selling someday. Maybe there's a building sitting underused that could have a whole new future. Or maybe you know of an opportunity we simply haven't heard about yet.

We want to hear about it.

And please don't assume that because a property isn't currently for sale, we wouldn't be interested. Sometimes the best opportunities start with a conversation.

🏫 BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ABC CHILD CARE BUILDING?

Great question—and we've had quite a few people ask us this.

The ABC building is still zoned residential and originally operated as a child care center under a Conditional Use Permit. That permit does not automatically transfer to a new owner. If Marion Day Care purchased the property, we would have to go through the Conditional Use Permit process all over again—and after seeing how our application was handled by the City Council, you can probably understand why that isn't exactly a reassuring path forward.

But even beyond zoning, the ABC building is actually smaller than our current facility.

We wouldn't be able to add a single child. In fact, we would have to eliminate approximately six spots currently occupied by children already in our care.

We are not willing to solve Marion's child care shortage by removing six children from the care they already have.

And because the ABC property has no room for meaningful future expansion, it doesn't solve the long-term problem we're trying to address.

🧩 AND HERE'S SOMETHING MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE ABOUT CHILD CARE FACILITIES...

You can't simply take an empty building, add some teachers and children, and—ta-da!—you have a daycare. 😅

Not even close.

Licensed child care centers must meet extensive Wisconsin DCF requirements involving classroom square footage, the number and ages of children served, bathrooms and sinks, exits and evacuation routes, fire safety, outdoor play space, fencing, food preparation, accessibility, building codes, and many other physical and operational requirements.

So while we genuinely want to hear about every possible opportunity, not every building that comes our way will ultimately work for a licensed child care center.

But please—keep the ideas coming anyway.

We would much rather look into ten possibilities and discover that nine won't work than miss the one opportunity that could become the future home of Marion Day Care.

If you're a property owner who has thought about selling—or might be willing to have a private, confidential conversation—we would love to hear from you. You don't have to be publicly listed for sale. You don't even have to be certain you're ready to sell.

Sometimes the best opportunities aren't listed on the market. Sometimes they start with a conversation, a connection, or someone simply saying:

"Have you ever thought about this place?"

So, Marion and surrounding community—

What do you know that we don't? 👀

Share this post. Tag someone who might have an idea. Send us a private message. Keep your eyes and ears open.

Our original plan may have been stopped, but our mission hasn't changed. We're still moving forward. We just need to find the right place to do it. 🌱💚

07/14/2026

An Update We Never Wanted to Have to Share

After a two-and-a-half-hour City Council meeting tonight, we are devastated to share that our conditional use permit to relocate and expand Marion Day Care was denied by a 4–1 vote of the Marion City Council.

This means we cannot move forward with the purchase of the property. We cannot expand. And at a time when Marion is already facing a severe shortage of childcare—and with ABC Child Care closing at the end of August—we are left without a path forward to create the additional childcare spaces our community desperately needs.

We want to be very clear about what happened tonight.

Marion Day Care came to the City with a property, secured financing, 35 years of experience serving this community, a full center, families waiting for care, and a plan to create additional childcare spaces. The childcare center that is closing has operated in that same residential neighborhood for 20 years, just 700 feet from the property we proposed purchasing.

Still, four members of the City Council voted to deny our request.

Mayor Chris Goke did everything within his power to support Marion Day Care and this project. He spoke strongly on behalf of the need for childcare in our community and even vetoed the Council's vote to deny our permit. We are incredibly grateful to him for fighting for us, for our families, and for the future of childcare in Marion.

We are also deeply grateful to Alderperson Dave Mattes, the only member of the City Council who voted in support of our conditional use permit and stood behind this project.

Alderperson Jacque Fritz abstained from the vote because she also serves as a member of the Marion Day Care Board of Directors.

Ultimately, the remaining four Council members chose to deny our request.

We understand that nearby residents had concerns. They had every right to voice them. But we are deeply disappointed that the objections of a handful of residents were allowed to outweigh the documented and urgent childcare needs of an entire community.

This decision has consequences far beyond one property or one neighborhood.

It affects working parents who need childcare in order to keep their jobs. It affects local employers who need reliable employees. It affects children and families throughout Marion and the surrounding communities. And it affects the 15 to 20 children who will soon lose their childcare when ABC Child Care closes its doors.

To the families of ABC Child Care: We are so incredibly sorry. We wanted to do more for you. We tried to do more for you. We knew your children were losing their childcare, and we were working to create a place for as many of them as possible. We are heartbroken that, because of this decision, we will not be able to provide the care we had hoped to offer your families.

We also owe a heartfelt apology to the sellers of the property. They put their trust in this process and made significant plans around the sale of their home, including arranging interstate travel and their move to Texas to be near their son. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience, uncertainty, and disruption this process has caused them. This is not the outcome we wanted for them, either.

To everyone who attended meetings, wrote letters, made phone calls, sent emails, spoke publicly, shared our posts, and stood beside us: thank you. You showed up. You spoke up. You demonstrated how deeply this community values childcare.

And if you are upset by this decision, please don't direct that frustration at Marion Day Care. We did everything we could.

Contact your City Council alderperson. Ask them why they voted the way they did. Voice your opinion. Continue writing letters. Continue asking questions. Our elected officials should hear directly from the residents affected by the decisions they make.

Tonight's decision does not erase the childcare shortage. It does not create a single additional childcare spot. It does not change the fact that ABC Child Care is closing. And it does not change the fact that families in our community still need somewhere safe and reliable for their children to go while they work.

We had the property. We had the financing. We had the families who needed care. We had 35 years of experience serving this community.

We asked the City to allow us to be part of the solution.

By a 4–1 vote, the City Council said no.

And our community deserves to know that.

07/14/2026

WE ARE NOT GIVING UP. 💚🌳

To every single person, business, organization, and family who has donated toward the expansion of Marion Day Care, we want to make one thing very clear:

Your money isn't going anywhere. And neither are we.

Every dollar donated toward our expansion is safe and secured in a dedicated savings account specifically for the future growth of Marion Day Care. Those funds will continue to be used for exactly what they were intended for: expanding our daycare and creating more childcare spaces for the families who desperately need them.

Monday night's vote was a setback.

It was not the end of our story.

We will move.
We will expand.
We will create more childcare spaces.
We will provide for this community.

For 35 years, Marion Day Care has been here for local children and families. One vote does not erase that history, and it certainly doesn't determine our future.

So now? We're dreaming even bigger.

Our goal isn't just to find another building anymore.

Our goal is to raise enough to BUILD. 🏗️🌳

A permanent home for Marion Day Care. A space designed specifically for children. A place with room to grow, room to play, and room to serve even more families for generations to come.

To everyone who has donated, shared our story, attended meetings, spoken up, written letters, encouraged us, and stood beside us: thank you.

Your support was not wasted. Your donations were not wasted. Your belief in us was not misplaced.

This is not the end of Marion Day Care's expansion plans. Not even close.

We aren't done.

We're just getting started. 💚

07/14/2026

An Update We Never Wanted to Have to Share

After a two-and-a-half-hour City Council meeting tonight, we are devastated to share that our conditional use permit to relocate and expand Marion Day Care was denied by a 4–1 vote of the Marion City Council.

This means we cannot move forward with the purchase of the property. We cannot expand. And at a time when Marion is already facing a severe shortage of childcare—and with ABC Child Care closing at the end of August—we are left without a path forward to create the additional childcare spaces our community desperately needs.

We want to be very clear about what happened tonight.

Marion Day Care came to the City with a property, secured financing, 35 years of experience serving this community, a full center, families waiting for care, and a plan to create additional childcare spaces. The childcare center that is closing has operated in that same residential neighborhood for 20 years, just 700 feet from the property we proposed purchasing.

Still, four members of the City Council voted to deny our request.

Mayor Chris Goke did everything within his power to support Marion Day Care and this project. He spoke strongly on behalf of the need for childcare in our community and even vetoed the Council's vote to deny our permit. We are incredibly grateful to him for fighting for us, for our families, and for the future of childcare in Marion.

We are also deeply grateful to Alderperson Dave Mattes, the only member of the City Council who voted in support of our conditional use permit and stood behind this project.

Alderperson Jacque Fritz abstained from the vote because she also serves as a member of the Marion Day Care Board of Directors.

Ultimately, the remaining four Council members chose to deny our request.

We understand that nearby residents had concerns. They had every right to voice them. But we are deeply disappointed that the objections of a handful of residents were allowed to outweigh the documented and urgent childcare needs of an entire community.

This decision has consequences far beyond one property or one neighborhood.

It affects working parents who need childcare in order to keep their jobs. It affects local employers who need reliable employees. It affects children and families throughout Marion and the surrounding communities. And it affects the 15 to 20 children who will soon lose their childcare when ABC Child Care closes its doors.

To the families of ABC Child Care: We are so incredibly sorry. We wanted to do more for you. We tried to do more for you. We knew your children were losing their childcare, and we were working to create a place for as many of them as possible. We are heartbroken that, because of this decision, we will not be able to provide the care we had hoped to offer your families.

We also owe a heartfelt apology to the sellers of the property. They put their trust in this process and made significant plans around the sale of their home, including arranging interstate travel and their move to Texas to be near their son. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience, uncertainty, and disruption this process has caused them. This is not the outcome we wanted for them, either.

To everyone who attended meetings, wrote letters, made phone calls, sent emails, spoke publicly, shared our posts, and stood beside us: thank you. You showed up. You spoke up. You demonstrated how deeply this community values childcare.

And if you are upset by this decision, please don't direct that frustration at Marion Day Care. We did everything we could.

Contact your City Council alderperson. Ask them why they voted the way they did. Voice your opinion. Continue writing letters. Continue asking questions. Our elected officials should hear directly from the residents affected by the decisions they make.

Tonight's decision does not erase the childcare shortage. It does not create a single additional childcare spot. It does not change the fact that ABC Child Care is closing. And it does not change the fact that families in our community still need somewhere safe and reliable for their children to go while they work.

We had the property. We had the financing. We had the families who needed care. We had 35 years of experience serving this community.

We asked the City to allow us to be part of the solution.

By a 4–1 vote, the City Council said no.

And our community deserves to know that.

We are a non-profit childcare center in Marion, WI.