Young Entrepreneur Reopens Daycare Center in Antigo

A young entrepreneur is breathing new life into the Antigo Child Care Center after it closed at the end of May – a welcome addition to a community the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families reports is on the edge of being considered a childcare desert.

After the facility’s closure widened the childcare supply and demand gap in the community, 22-year-old Abby Arrowood said she was inspired to reopen the center.

Discouraged by the lack of care options in the area, Arrowood, who was attending college online in pursuit of her associate’s degree and working another job, said when she heard the center would be closing, she reached out to the center’s owner.

From there, she said she started the licensure processes that led to her reopening the center last month as its new owner.

“I had been thinking about doing this for a really long time,” she said. “I was trying to finish up my college years when I started to take the idea a bit more seriously, researching and meeting with people, when I caught wind that the center’s owner was stepping down.”

In addition to the large outdoor playground, Abby Arrowood said the center has four classrooms, which are separated by age groups.

Though she wasn’t quite expecting business ownership – “it was always the plan to open a childcare center” – to happen so soon in her career, Arrowood said, “I knew I had to give it my best shot and go for it.”

She said she and the center’s owner, Gabby Sorano, “clicked right off the bat.”

And with the help of the Langlade County Economic Development Corporation and its Executive Director Angie Close, Arrowood said she was able to secure financing.

“Angie worked very closely with the last owner,” she said. “Gabby introduced me to her. She was big on helping us get the money that we needed to get back up and running. Without her, it probably would have been nearly impossible for this to be happening for me right now.”

A solid foundation

Arrowood said her previous work experience included helping children on the autism spectrum at therapy centers in Wausau and in Rhinelander, preparing them for their academic years.

“I really loved that,” she said. “I loved watching them grow and learn new things while playing and being comfortable in their environment.”

Arrowood said that experience has transitioned well into her new role as a childcare provider.

Abby Arrowood

“Now I get to watch these kids at the center grow at such a vital age and be a part of their lives,” she said. “I love offering a safe, educational place for them.”

Arrowood said her work at the therapy centers helped her decide that the Antigo Child Care Center opportunity was the right move, despite her hectic schedule and young age, as it would fulfill her two primary goals.

“I immediately fell in love with the idea of owning a daycare business, which allows me to work on the business side of things and fulfill my other passion, which is working with kids,” she said.

A welcomed return

With the center reopened, Arrowood said about half of its families are returning clients and the other half are new, which indicates there is a significant need for child care in the Antigo area.

The center, she said, cares for 22 children from six weeks old through age five and serves families who need full-time as well as part-time childcare coverage.

Arrowood said she and her staff prioritize learning through structured play.

Owner Abby Arrowood said she and her staff prioritize learning through structured play.

In addition to a large outdoor playground, she said the facility has a kitchen for preparing three meals a day and four classrooms, which are separated by age groups:

• The Infant room works with babies up to age one
• The Wobblers classroom works with ages one to two, while the Toddlers room covers ages two to three
• The Preschoolers room is for ages three to five years old

“And luckily, we’re right in town, so we can take walking field trips and go to parks and kind of explore around with the kids,” Arrowood said.

Up to the challenge

Becoming a business owner at just 22 years old, while balancing school and other activities, would be a challenge for anyone.

Arrowood said she credits the support from her family, the community, the center’s families and the previous owner Sorano for helping her during this critical start-up phase.

“(Sorano) has always been one call away with tips and guidance, which is awesome,” she said. “And the families – surprisingly, even those no longer here – have been a great help.”

Arrowood said the center has the capacity to roughly double its attendance.

But for now, she said, “we’re just all trying to get comfortable in our positions.”

“I do have some hopeful, big future plans, but as of right now, nothing set in stone,” she said.

The Antigo Child Child Care Center is located at 925 5th Ave.

Enrollment information is available at antigochildcarecenter.com.