GSBDC Assists with Purchase of Daycare Facility

World of Wonder Child Care Center, Inc. (WOW) was established in 2007 and is owned 100% by Jodi Valentine-Sanson.  In 2014 she and her husband James purchased a new 7,500 sq. ft. facility that was custom built to meet NYS’s requirements for daycare centers.  It’s located at 2555 Hambletonian Way in Camillus, NY, approximately 3 miles from their former building and gives them sufficient space to accommodate as many as 100 children providing for more classrooms, a larger kitchen and food storage area as well as a large indoor play area.  They had previously leased 5,500 sq. ft. in an old rehabilitated restaurant building at 5633 West Genesee Street in Camillus, NY but the inefficient layout was not conducive to a day care center and precluded them from expanding.

M&T Bank provided financing for 50% of the total project cost, with GSBDC providing 40% through the SBA 504 program, and the Sansons being responsible for an equity contribution of just 10%.  Brannan Karg, Banking Officer, M&T Bank commented “It was a pleasure to work with Jodi to help her business finance the purchase of their new building.  M&T Bank takes great pride in helping local businesses succeed.  We look forward to working with Jodi and her business continues to grow”.

WOW operates a New York State licensed facility providing daycare for 93 children including 16 infants, 24 toddlers, 37 preschoolers and 16 school age children.  The Center is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 6:00 PM for the full 12 months of the year and provides child care for children 6 weeks through 12 years. They offer a wide array of learning opportunities, arts and crafts, music and large motor activities. They also offer specialized summer and school vacation programming for school age children.

Prior to moving into their new location, WOW employed a total of 18 full-time including Jodi as Executive Director.  They have added three full-time positions and four part-time employees as a result of the move to their new facility.

Jodi Valentine-Sanson stated that “Purchasing a new home for World of Wonder has been such a positive experience for us.  The transition from leasing to owning a facility was smoother than we had expected because we had such a great team of people supporting us.  We are passionate about creating a fun, loving environment for children’s “first school” experience.   Our days are filled with fun and learning and having a building designed specifically to meet the needs of a child care center has made a huge difference.  The children love the big, bright classrooms and our large indoor gym and outdoor play space.  Our families have responded positively to the new facility and the convenience of our new location.  We are excited to see what lies ahead for us as we continue to grow and develop our programs.  We feel very fortunate to have had the help and guidance of the GSBDC and M&T Bank in making this dream a reality!”