Lake Mills Daycare and Preschool's Future in Question

The Supervisor of the Lake Mills community preschool and daycare depends greatly on the Cummins Filtration Factory.

The long-standing company pays for their rent, utilities, and employee benefits.

The factory is haulting operations, and now workers, parents and the community are all wondering what's in their future.

Carrie Moen is a board member and parent of three kids attending the Lake Mills Community Preschool and Daycare.

Moen, like many other parents depend on the business daily to look after her kids while she is at work.

Now, the daycare can't survive without the financial support of Cummins Filtration.

The planned layoffs are quite a shock to some.

Moen says, "the minute I heard I thought, are the day care doors gonna close? What am I gonna do with my kids?"

Fortunately Cummins Filtration leaders are agreeing to honor their contract with the daycare and preschool.

That is giving them until December 2012 to figure out what to do.

Jennifer McGrady, the daycare and preschool site director says, "it would be wonderful if we could stay here, but it may be that we have to have another facility somewhere in Lake Mills, and the funding would have to come from another entity, whether it be the community and city or schools pulling together or another private sector moving in and helping out."

Now everyone is trying to figure out how to keep the program running.

Moen adds, "we're trying to talk to community members and leaders and trying to come up with a plan before December 2012, we want to try and be a little pro-active on this so we're not scrambling at the last minute."

The day care is serving almost 100 children and 60 families, parents says it's a vital business to keep going for the Lake Mills Area.

The Director of Lake Mills chamber Mary Hoffman says, "it has to be a community effort, we want the chamber involvement, business leaders, we want to city, the school, we need everyone to partner to make this successful."