Northwest Side CDC Closes Loan to Little Crawler’s Daycare LLC

The Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) is proud to announce the closing of a $360,000 loan to Little Crawler’s Daycare LLC, a childcare center located at 4022 N 27th Street. Mrs. Sonya Brown, the operator of the daycare, had been leasing the space since 2018 after years of running the business as a home based provider. Earlier this year, she was notified that the building would be placed under foreclosure, putting her and her business in a place of uncertainty. Not wanting to disrupt the care that the children were receiving at the center, Mrs. Brown applied for a loan from NWSCDC with the hopes that she could purchase the building from the delinquent owner and continue to operate the daycare center in the space that the families and children had been coming to for years.

With a loan from NWSCDC through its PNC fund, she placed the winning bid at an August sheriff’s sale and closed on the property in September.  Mrs. Brown plans to improve the condition of the building, increase her enrollment, and add new job positions. She is committed to providing neighborhood residents with access to high quality childcare, and is excited to use her newly-gained control of the site to make more investments in the property and have the highest quality space for children in her care. Mrs. Brown continues to work with her YoungStar Technical Consultant to improve the center’s rating, and she’s exploring possible accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

“I recently had a meeting with my NWSCDC team, and they gave me the most wonderful news! I was instructed to make a list of things that I would like to do or change in the daycare and don’t hold back. How cool is that? It made me feel like Christmas in November! I am truly grateful and thankful. Thank you so much to the NWSCDC team,” said Mrs. Brown.

The Northwest Side CDC is committed to providing financial and technical support to childcare centers, like Little Crawler’s, that wish to scale up and improve the quality of their operations. Through workshop series, small business lending, and specialized technical assistance, NWSCDC is proud to work with those that are caring for the youngest Milwaukeeans.

“We are really excited to have been able to help a black, woman-owned childcare center take that next step and purchase their own building. And, that it is right down the street from our office makes it feel even more impactful to our mission,” said Willie Smith, Executive Director of Northwest Side CDC.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.