Honoring 107 Years: The History and Legacy of Rockford Day Nursery

This article is an honorary tribute to Rockford Day Nursery and its 107-year legacy of serving Rockford families. Rockford Daycare & Academy now operates at the same address — 2323 S. 6th St., Rockford, IL — and carries forward a commitment to quality early childhood education in the same community.

When [WIFR reported the closure of Rockford Day Nursery in November 2024](https://www.wifr.com/2024/11/15/rockford-day-nursery-abruptly-closes/), the headline was blunt: after serving the Rockford community for more than a hundred years, the nursery had closed its doors, leaving dozens without childcare. For many families in southeast Rockford, it wasn't just the loss of a daycare — it was the loss of an institution that had been woven into the fabric of their neighborhood for generations.

Founded in 1917: A Mission Built for Working Families

Rockford Day Nursery was founded in 1917 in a small basement on West State Street, Rockford, Illinois. Its founding mission was as clear and direct as missions come: "To provide daycare and education to young children whose parents are employed or training for work." At a time when the concept of the "working woman" was new and largely unsupported by public infrastructure, the nursery filled a gap that few other institutions even acknowledged.

That mission — children cared for while parents work — never changed. Over more than a century, the nursery expanded five times to meet growing community demand. By 2004, it had outgrown its earlier footprints and relocated to Sixth Street, the former Clarcor site, which would become its permanent home at 2323 S. Sixth St.

A Century of Growth at 2323 S. Sixth St.

• [1917] Founded in a West State Street basement — the birth of working-family childcare in Rockford
• [1917–2003] Five expansions over 86 years to meet the growing needs of Rockford's families
• [2004] Relocated to 2323 S. Sixth St., the former Clarcor site — the facility's largest and most permanent home
• [2004–2024] Two decades of service to southeast Rockford at the Sixth Street location
• [October 2024] Executive Director Jim Peterson appeared on WIFR TV promoting a fundraiser to grow from 75 to 150 children
• [November 2024] Abrupt closure — 75 families left without childcare overnight

The Abrupt Closure — What Happened in November 2024

The closure was both sudden and shocking — especially given its timing. Just weeks before shutting down, [former Executive Director Jim Peterson appeared on WIFR TV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7GmOe7tvVM) to announce an ambitious expansion: "We're looking to expand our operations. Currently, we serve about 75 kids, but we're renovating some rooms, and we're going to expand up to close to 150 kids — so almost double our size."

Within a month, Rockford Day Nursery had closed. The families it served — approximately 75 children — lost their childcare with little warning. The reasons were never fully made public, though childcare industry observers later noted that warning signs had existed for some time. "While the Rockford Day Nursery thing was a very sudden thing, it was not a very sudden thing," one local childcare operator told [Northern Public Radio's WNIJ](https://www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-news/2025-04-08/a-100-year-old-rockford-childcare-center-abruptly-closed-if-theres-such-a-need-for-childcare-why-cant-centers-stay-open). "When you see problems like that happening at other centers, and you can't help them, that's scary and sad. A lot of us could see that there were problems."

The Community Felt the Loss Immediately

Kris Machajewski of YWCA Northwestern Illinois told [WIFR](https://www.wifr.com/2024/11/15/rockford-day-nursery-abruptly-closes/) the loss was "devastating," leaving a number of children and families without essential childcare. "There is such a need in this community, especially for infants and toddlers. The staffing ratios are very high, so it's very challenging sometimes to find care for infants and toddlers," Machajewski said.

Birth to Five Illinois, an early childhood action council serving Winnebago County, issued a statement noting the "abrupt" closure would have a "significant impact on the community." Other area childcare centers reported an immediate surge in families seeking placement — but most simply didn't have room.

The Bigger Picture: A Childcare Desert

[Northern Public Radio's April 2025 investigation](https://www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-news/2025-04-08/a-100-year-old-rockford-childcare-center-abruptly-closed-if-theres-such-a-need-for-childcare-why-cant-centers-stay-open) into the closure placed it within a larger, troubling pattern: Winnebago and Boone counties have more than 24,000 children under age 6, but fewer than 10,000 licensed childcare slots to serve them. Illinois has lost one-third of its childcare providers over the past decade. The Rockford Day Nursery closure wasn't just a local tragedy — it was a symptom of a systemic failure in how the United States funds and supports early childhood care.

The nursery's own financial filings tell part of the story. In its final full fiscal year, Rockford Day Nursery reported revenue of $1,013,817 against expenses of $926,705 — a positive margin, on paper. But just a year prior, revenue had been $1,567,494. The dramatic drop in income, combined with the challenges of post-pandemic staffing and facility costs, likely contributed to the rapid unraveling.

A New Chapter at the Same Address

In August 2025, JPM Rockford — a business partner of Bryan and Amanda Amezquita — purchased the 2323 S. Sixth St. building from Rockford Day Nursery for $675,000, according to records from the Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder's Office. Much of the facility's original daycare equipment remained inside.

Rockford Daycare & Academy opened at the same address in early 2026 — and [Rock River Current covered the milestone on February 18, 2026](https://www.rockrivercurrent.com/2026/02/new-day-care-and-academy-fills-former-rockford-day-nursery/), framing it as a revival for a community that had been waiting over a year for childcare to return to the building. "It was so sad that it closed," Amanda Amezquita told Rock River Current. "The community always needs child care, especially in this area. Providing the child care option while also providing the education piece we feel fills a huge need for our location."

We don't take the weight of that history lightly. The children and families who depended on Rockford Day Nursery for over a century deserved better than an abrupt goodbye. We hope that continuing to serve early childhood education in that same building — with the same address, a renewed commitment, and a school-readiness philosophy — honors what that institution stood for, even as we build something new.

Rockford Day Nursery abruptly closes after 100+ years of service — WIFR (CBS/CW Rockford) — November 15, 2024

A 100-year-old Rockford childcare center abruptly closed. If there's such a need for childcare, why can't centers stay open? — Northern Public Radio WNIJ — Peter Medlin, April 8, 2025

Rockford Day Nursery expansion announcement (weeks before closure) — WIFR YouTube — Jim Peterson fundraiser interview, October 2024

New day care and academy fills former Rockford Day Nursery — Rock River Current — Kevin Haas, February 18, 2026