(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley YMCA Executive Director Dan Haynes, today (Monday), announced “Effective immediately the Nishna Valley Family YMCA has made the decision to stop accepting NEW families for services at the Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center, until further notice.”

Haynes said in a letter to the community that “As a community rooted in strong collaborations, we are confident that if we sit down together with community agencies, the Wickman center, and the Atlantic Community School District, we can identify a Win/Win/Win situation for the families we all serve. With the pending loss of space at the School’s Early Learning Center building, either in December of 2023 or later, the Wickman operation will have to work to downsize our overall capacity to fit into the constraints of the Wickman building. We will continue to provide service to our current families and the unborn babies who we have already committed to.”

“In the short term,” Haynes said, “we will work to move our oldest kids from the Wickman building and serve them in an alternate space in the community. This is contingent on finding a space that can meet the stringent requirement from the fire marshal and Department of Human Services. If this can be done, it will only be on a 1-2 year temporary basis as the YMCA Board cannot afford to operate childcare at three locations or have families drive around to multiple locations to pick up and drop off their children. By not taking new families over those two years, we will be able to shrink our capacity back to a number that we can fit into the Wickman building.

“We realize that this will place a burden on families living here that need care, families trying to move to town, as well as employers trying to hire new workers into our communities. We hope that as a community, we can come together to find a long-term childcare solution that will support current families in our area and be inviting to potential families that are looking to call Cass County their home.

“For the long term,: Haynes said, “the YMCA Board is open to discussions with any individuals or organizations who want to tackle this opportunity together. We appreciate everyone’s past support and hope to work with all of you to help strengthen and grow Atlantic and Cass County.”