MORRISON – Some Morrison children soon will have a new place to spend their weekdays, thanks to the generosity and cooperation of some adults.

The Early Years Academy, 508 French Creek Road on the southeast side of town, is set to open in 2 or 3 weeks. It is a dream come true for Scott Selmon, owner of Climco Coils, a business adjacent to the daycare.

Selmon recognized a need for a new daycare in Morrison, not only for people with young children in town, but also for his employees. He spent about $500,000 getting Early Years built.

“One of the big needs for employees is child care,” said Lisa Sage, administrative assistant for special projects at Climco Coils. “One of the biggest reasons for call-off is lack of child care and reliable child care. The community needed it. Our employees needed it. It was always a dream of Scott’s to do this.”

The facility is built on 5 acres donated by the Morrison Area Development Corp. Kim Ewoldsen, a volunteer and its former director, was involved with the project and was happy to see it come to fruition.

“This is a great example of the development corporation working with a local business to meet a community need,” Ewoldsen said. “To have a vibrant community, one of the things a lot of people look for is a child care facility. We do have a child care facility in town, however, we have outgrown the capacity there.”

Morrison Community Daycare was established in 1972 and is in the lower level of the Presbyterian Church at 100 E. Lincolnway. It is licensed for 40 children.

The Early Years Academy, after a meeting with a state official on Friday afternoon, got word it will be licensed for two shifts of 94 children each.

“This is super-exciting,” said Jennifer Magnafici, owner/director of the academy. “The demand is so high in this community, and all the surrounding communities. It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to have a quality service. Not only are we going to offer daycare services, but we also offer preschool as well.”

Magnafici was director of Bright Beginnings Christian Daycare and Preschool in Dixon for about 3 years, but that ended in April when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. She was alerted via social media about a new daycare in Morrison, and after acing the interview process, took the reins at Early Years in July.

Climco Coils owns the facility, while Magnafici owns the business and is leasing the facility. She has been getting calls every day from interested parents and guardians about placing children, many from Climco.

“Scott has always had a dream of having a daycare in the community for his employees,” Magnafici said. “It’s a win-win for him because one-third of my enrollment belongs to Climco employees. It’s a written rule that they speak for those spots first. It’s nice that we can offer that service to his families and employees, but it wins for me, too, as it brings enrollment into my center.”

Ewoldsen and her former team at the Development Corp. toured daycare facilities in the Sauk Valley and surrounding area for about a year, looking for what worked and what didn’t. The result was a facility with six classrooms, nine bathrooms and a large multi-purpose room, with a playground outside. A sidewalk will surround the facility and will be painted like a road, for bicycles and tricycles.

“There was a lot of due diligence that went into this to make it a perfect center,” Ewoldsen said.

Magnafici has hired 14 teachers with six more to handle both shifts, and also will hire an assistant and a cook.

She hopes to have the facility up and running by the second week of February, once licensing from the Department of Children and Family Services is officially received.

The daycare will be open from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday hours may be added at a later date.

Call 815-772-2017, email theearlyyearsacademy@gmail.com or find it on Facebook for enrollment and other information.