Sanborn, Iowa (RI) — Plans to move a child care center into unused space in a nursing home in Sanborn would create a first-of-its-kind operation in Iowa.
Melissa Michels — director of Kids Express Daycare in Sanborn — says a wing of the Prairie View Nursing Home has been vacant since 2022.
There are intergenerational facilities in Europe where children interact daily with elderly residents, but Michels says it’s still a fresh idea in America.
Research shows this kind of a partnership in Europe helps reduce the social isolation of the older generation, and Michels says the kids benefit, too.
The non-profit child care center and the nursing home in Sanborn will remain two separate operations, but have shared activities.
The Kids Express Daycare in Sanborn currently has slots for 57 kids. Michels says once the project is completed, they’ll have slots for twice that many.
About half a million dollars has been raised for the project. Michels says their goal is to raise another 130 thousand dollars, start the remodeling in September, and move the child care center into its new space early next year.
