ELLINGTON, CT — A fundraiser is seeking $25,000 to help a family-owned Ellington daycare remain open after more than four decades in business.
The campaign for Scotty's Kiddy Korner Preschool & Day Care had raised $7,600 through 35 donations as of Wednesday morning.
Organizer Laura Buck said rising expenses and changes in the childcare market have made it difficult for the center to keep up. Money raised will be used to pay teachers and cover essential operating costs while the owners work to increase enrollment and pursue grants, partnerships and additional marketing.
"What they need right now is time," Buck wrote.
Scotty's Kiddy Korner was founded by Lillian Lanz in 1984 after the daycare attended by her son closed. According to the center's history, Lanz was unable to find another program that met her expectations, so she returned to school and opened one herself.
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The business began as a home daycare licensed for six children. It later expanded to 12 children before moving into a larger facility in 1992.
Scotty's moved to its current location at 70 West Road in 2002. An expansion to the building's second floor in 2017 increased its capacity to 112 children ranging from 6 weeks to 12 years old.
The fundraiser says the daycare remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve medical workers, first responders and other families who needed childcare.
One of the campaign's largest contributions came from Little Scribbles Childcare and Learning Center, which donated $1,000.
The center currently has openings for toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children, according to the campaign. It also provides care during school vacations, snow days and half-days, along with transportation in Ellington, Vernon and South Windsor.
The campaign does not announce a closing date. Donations may be made through the GoFundMe page.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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