Latest news with #RebeccaLoroff
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Our Shepherd Childcare set to close May 30 with about 100 childcare spots at risk
Our Shepherd Childcare, 3335 N. Lynndale Drive, Appleton, announced April 9 that will close due to "current market conditions." Bethany Lutheran Church, which owns the child care center, said in the announcement it hopes to find a buyer for Our Shepherd. But if no one steps up, the center will close May 30. Bethany Lutheran Church didn't return the Post-Crescent's request for comment. The center had a licensed capacity of 135 children, ages 6 weeks through 12 years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. A parent of twin 1-year-olds and a 3-year-old at the center, Carissa Paul, said that she was both sad and frustrated when she learned about the closure. She only has child care options now because she kept spots on other waitlists from 18 months ago — before her twins were born. She said she felt for families that face longer waits for care and urged community leaders and employers to show empathy and understanding to them. "Families are doing everything they can to stay afloat in a system that's offering them very few options," she added. The announcement follows closely on the heels of an uncertain future for the childcare center at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, with another 40 childcare spaces gone if that center closes. The university will close at the end of the school year. More broadly, according to a recent survey by the Department of Wisconsin Children and Families and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a quarter of child care centers in Wisconsin are more likely to close their doors if stabilization payments through the Child Care Counts program end. Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@ This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Our Shepherd Childcare set to close if it can't find a buyer by May 30
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Student of the Week needs help getting to the finish line. Here's how you can nominate
Spring is on its way, and the end of the school year is in sight. But in the meantime, our statewide weekly poll, Wisconsin Student of the Week, is still open. This week, instead of running a Student of the Week poll, we're putting out a call for more nominees. Here's how you can help keep the poll going. For Student of the Week, we feature Wisconsin high school students who stand out in some way. That doesn't just mean the highest GPAs or the most extracurriculars: Our Wisconsin Student of the Week nominees and winners stand out in many ways. We've had winners from ninth grade to 12th grade nominated for their mentorship of younger students, community engagement, mechanical skills and support of fellow students' mental health. We accept nominations from across the state and from anyone who works directly with high school students. We've featured students from public, magnet, private and virtual schools, from Milwaukee to Merrill. Our nominees have come from teachers, counselors, extracurricular advisers and members of nonprofit youth advocacy groups. Nominations must be sent through our nomination form by someone who works directly with students. If you would like a link to the form, please reach out to Debi Young, our statewide education editor, at You will need to include the student's correctly spelled name, their grade, a current photo (such as a yearbook photo), and a brief statement about why they should be nominated for Student of the Week. Each student can only be nominated once. Our weekly poll typically runs from 5 a.m. Monday through noon Thursday. We announce our winner Friday online and Sundays in print through the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Appleton Post-Crescent. We also mail a certificate to each winner at their school. Check out our poll each Monday, and encourage others to vote. We'd like to see your school or community represented; you can suggest that local teachers, guidance counselors, or youth organizations reach out to us to send nominations. Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Call for nominations: Wisconsin Student of the Week April 2025
