Sartell's Waters Church Expands With New Daycare Center

SARTELL (WJON News) -- A new daycare will be opening in Sartell this Fall. Waters Church is doing an expansion, and as part of the addition, it will be opening a new daycare.

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Paul Habstritt, WJON

The total renovation is 32,000 square feet, of which about 10,000 square feet will be for the daycare. Pastor Doug Vagle says, in addition to the daycare, the renovation is adding a lot of needed space for the church:

"We really needed extra space, and so it obviously adds things in for the church as well that we get like a gymnasium and a bunch of meeting spaces and common areas and we increased our seating in our auditorium so it was kind of a, it wasn't just building a daycare but that was a huge part of the heart behind all of this getting moving."

Paul Habstritt, WJON

How Many Kids will the Daycare Be Able To Take?

Vagle says the dream of the daycare and renovation started back in 2018, and it has taken a lot of time and planning to get to this point. The new daycare will be able to take 104 kids, ages infant to five years old, and is open to everyone, not just church members.

Paul Habstritt, WJON

What Kind of Need Is There for More Daycare in Sartell?

Vagle says their goal is to help fill the daycare need in Sartell:

"We're able to meet part of that need, and there's room enough for every daycare to grow, for us to grow, and for all of everyone opening their home in daycare to grow, to just meet this huge need, and it helps the economy, people need to get their kids in quality care so they can get to work."

Vagle says that at one time, Sartell had a 440-kid daycare deficit, and they hope to be open by September and be able to take reservations in a few weeks. The new daycare will also create jobs for Sartell, Vagle says they will need about 25-30 employees, and they have already hired a director.

Paul Habstritt, WJON

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