YMCA to close child care centers in Donnellson

DONNELLSON – The child care situation in Lee County has become a little more bleak.
On Friday, the Fort Madison YMCA informed families of children under their care at the Donnellson facilities that they will be closing both facilities at the end of the workday on Friday.
The Fort Madison Family YMCA Early Learning Center and the Fort Madison Family YMCA Learning Center will both close their doors on Aug. 4.
Fort Madison YMCA Executive Director Ryan Wilson said it was a difficult decision and he’s aware the decision adds to the pressure of child care slots in Lee County.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to close our childcare centers in Donnellson, effective the end of the workday on Friday, August, 4,” Wilson wrote Friday on the center’s Facebook page.
“It is essential that our staff receive additional training to provide the highest quality of care for your children in a safe environment. This decision has not come easy, our goal has always been to support families in the community. We want only the best for the children and families we currently serve.”
Wilson said the YMCA is looking at different avenues for the childcare centers and they have no reopening date set. He said more staff is needed along with necessary training before any reopening could occur.
“We will communicate any future information with our current families first and then share it with the public,” he said.
The center had recently closed an investigation by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services over a complaint filed with the department on June 23. The complaint is the fifth at the two centers since 2022. The YMCA purchased the centers in the spring of 2020.
The most recent complaint was around a 4-year-old boy who was left unattended for anywhere from three to seven minutes. The boy had been sequestered due to an illness waiting for a parent to pick him up.
According to a report filed by HHS, staff took two different groups for walks and forgot the boy was sleeping at the time. When he awoke, no one was in the building. The center was assessed two violations for not being aware of the children in the center, and not following procedures for a sick child.
Through the investigations, no licensure changes were administered by the state, but the center was cautioned that additional violations could result in licensure status changes.
Wilson said the issue was resolved and staff training was initiated, but the board had already decided to close the centers due to staffing shortages.
“The health and safety of all the kids is our priority and this situation was an unfortunate one within our childcare centers. We are thankful nothing more came from it. Our staff was made aware of the situation immediately,  it was handled and we met HHS requirements. However, it wasn’t this incident that led to the closing of our centers,” he said.
Wilson said anyone with questions concerning the closures can contact him at 319-372-2403 ext. 5 or at ryan.wilson@fortmadisony.org.