ARCOLA - A special visitor came to Arcola Daycare on Dec. 12 and his name was Santa Claus.
Arcola Daycare is a non-profit organization that was established in 2008. It works with families in Arcola and the surrounding areas to offer quality care to the children.
According to Kayla Brown, the director of the daycare, they provide developmentally-appropriate programming to encourage healthy growth and development for children ages six weeks to 12 years of age.
The facility is licensed for 29 full-time children and currently these spots are all filled. It is their hope to add more spaces at some point down the road. They also have casual care for 30 kids that come on a regular basis. It is currently the only licensed daycare between Stoughton and Redvers.
Brown runs the day-to-day operations, and the volunteer board of directors look after the fundraising and work directly with Brown.
Eleven people are employed at the daycare and play a key role in the quality care of the children.
Due to COVID-19, the annual Christmas-themed open house was put on hold for two years, but they were excited about bringing it back this year with the help of the staff.
The event ran from 6-7:30 p.m. Santa was on hand to have pictures taken with the children. Christmas crafts were also part of the evening.
Kids enjoyed having their faces painted, while decorating some cookies to be eaten or taken home.
Several families came to attend the event while temperatures outside remained mild.
Their next big fundraiser is the annual Ladies Night Out, which is held at the Arcola Prairie Place Hall. This event is scheduled for March 11, and is the main fundraiser for the daycare.
Funds from this event go towards upkeep and renovations of the daycare building, to keep the children in a safe place.
