McLouth day care slated to close next week

? Karen Shirey dropped her grandson off at preschool Thursday morning and picked up news she wasn’t expecting.

She discovered the McLouth center, which provides care for dozens of children, would shut its doors in less than a week.

“They’re not giving us any ideas why,” the 45-year-old customer service representative said. “I’m scrambling, checking out all the day-care centers between McLouth and Lawrence.”

Y.E.S. Learning Center, 109 N. Union St., opened two years ago and is run by the nonprofit, McLouth-based Youth Extended Services Inc.

The center provides infant and toddler care, a preschool program and an afterschool program to nearly 40 babies and children each month.

Angela Coulter, president of Y.E.S. Learning Center’s board of directors, declined to say why the center is closing.

Its last day open will be Wednesday.

“I am very sad that it’s closing, and I regret it for the community of McLouth,” Coulter said.

She said her own children attended the learning center.

Shirey, who lives in rural McLouth and works in Lawrence, said she got custody of her grandson about four months ago. Now she’ll have to move him to another day care.

“It’s been nothing but change for that poor child,” she said of the 4-year-old. “I know there’s going to be a lot of parents who are scrambling just like I am, searching for day care with such a short notice.”