Parents Rally to Save Wauwatosa Childcare Center After 25 Years

Pilgrim Child Development Center set to close this summer, leaving families and staff scrambling

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A parent-led group is rallying support to keep the Pilgrim Child Development Center in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin open after the Pilgrim Lutheran Church announced it will cease operating the 25-year-old childcare center this June. The center serves 48 children and employs 14 staff members, and parents are hoping to find a new owner to take over operations and prevent the closure.

Why it matters

The closure of the Pilgrim Child Development Center would leave a significant gap in community-based childcare options in the Wauwatosa area, which parents say is already lacking in affordable and high-quality daycare centers. The center's closure would disrupt the lives of dozens of families and leave 14 staff members without jobs.

The details

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, which owns the Pilgrim Child Development Center, announced in a message to parents and staff that the center will cease operations on June 12, 2026, citing "difficulty in finding trained, qualified LCMS staff" as a key reason. The center currently serves 48 children and employs 14 staff members, and parents like Carolyn Lee are now rallying to try to find a new owner to take over the center and keep it open.

  • Pilgrim Child Development Center has been operating for 25 years.
  • On June 12, 2026, the Pilgrim Lutheran Church will cease operating the childcare center.

The players

Pilgrim Child Development Center

A 25-year-old childcare center owned and operated by Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin that serves 48 children and employs 14 staff members.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The church that owns and operates the Pilgrim Child Development Center, and has announced it will be closing the center in June 2026.

Carolyn Lee

A parent of an 8-month-old daughter who attends the Pilgrim Child Development Center and is leading a group of parents rallying to try to keep the center open.

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What they’re saying

“We need more community-based daycares in this area, and this was a perfect example of it… and it's definitely a huge loss to the community.”

— Carolyn Lee, Parent (TMJ4)

“They're everything that you would want when you hand your child over to somebody, and you put your trust in them when you go to work every day.”

— Carolyn Lee, Parent (TMJ4)

What’s next

The group of parents is hoping to find a new owner to take over the Pilgrim Child Development Center and keep it operating, and they are in discussions with the Pilgrim Lutheran Church about the possibility of the church selling the building to a new daycare operator.

The takeaway

The impending closure of the Pilgrim Child Development Center highlights the critical need for more affordable, high-quality community-based childcare options in the Wauwatosa area. The parent-led effort to save the 25-year-old center demonstrates the strong demand and value that families place on accessible, trusted childcare providers in their local neighborhoods.