Northern Door Children’s Center Completes Phase One of Expansion

The new main learning and multipurpose room at Northern Door Children’s Center provides expanded space for 4k students and allows for the reconfiguration and expansion of existing services. Submitted.

Northern Door Children’s Center is moving into a new era after completing the first phase of the expansion of its Sister Bay facility. 

“This is a dramatic change for us that will allow us to serve many more children and families in northern Door County,” said Cindy Trinkner-Peot, the center’s longtime director. 

The center has added new, large classroom space that will initially house the 4K Community Collaborative Program during the school year and then the Camp Cool Day Camp Program during the summer. The new space will allow for reconfiguring existing classrooms and enrolling more infants and toddlers. The final student capacity has not been finalized – it will depend on staffing levels and the final reconfiguration of the spaces – but the center could be in a position to take on about 40 more children.

The addition also offers logistical improvements for the staff, with a new combination garage/workshop that offers much-needed receiving, distribution and storage space for donations from the community. In addition, a dedicated space for teachers to plan and prepare lessons and activities has been added. 

The expansion was made possible by a gift of nearly $1 million from a new, anonymous donor and $50,000 from a Wisconsin Innovation Grant that was awarded at the end of 2021. 

As the staff and students have moved into the new spaces, attention turned to phase two of the center’s evolution, which will include reconfiguring old spaces, offices and classrooms, and improving the exterior playground area. Plans for that phase are complete, and the board of directors is in the early stages of securing financial support for the project.