November 16, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Bright Beginnings to hold open house

A long-time dream is finally coming to fruition.

Bright Beginnings Learning Center located at 501 Peters Drive in St. Joseph, plans to open in October.
“We run it like a family,” co-owner Nicole Uher said. “It’s family-owned, safe and we have lots of experience.”

The three owners, Carolyn Miller, Uher, and Lori Fisher have all run home daycares for more than 15 years.

Miller stressed that they offer a fun, loving environment for children to feel like they are at home while learning and engaging with other children.

The center offers a curriculum-based program and meals and snacks will be provided.

The Learning Center will host an open house today from 1-3 p.m.

Miller said she hoped people would come and take a look at the building that has gone extensive renovations since previously being an Abbeyfield Senior Living Center.

The Center will house children from six months to 12 years of age and the children will be broken down by age group. Younger children will have all-day care while school-age children will have after-school care.

The journey to opening started two years ago as the three women started looking for building to host their childcare center.

“We looked at buildings all over the area,” Miller said, “We finally found this property and knew it was the one.”

The Covid pandemic and the fact that the former owners were based in England made negotiating tedious.

Then came the remodels.

And the drainage situation that needed addressed.

“The village was very helpful,” Uher said. “They really wanted us here.”

The only things remaining from the original Abbeyfield building are the walls, Miller said.

“It’s basically a brand new building,” Uher said.

The building has room for the center to expand and has a multi-purpose room for play when the weather is too cold to go outside.

“The building also is big enough for us to grow,” Miller said. “It’s also right across from the schools. This makes it easier for parents to pick up and drop off.”

The center will employ 13 teachers to start.

For more information visit the center’s Facebook page or email bblcstjoe@gmail.com.

in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

‘I love feeling a part of the community’

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

Almost a year ago exactly, The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the naming and grand opening of...

Sweet Home Alabama

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Eve Owens knew she wanted to go South. So when she was trying to decide where to go to college...

Van Buskirk reflects on successful expo

May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019

Dawn Van Buskirk loves the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon. Van Buskirk has been involved with the marathon since it started...

‘We can’t wait to be back’

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Amy Gibbons, the owner of Salon 192, is urging people not to do anything rash. That means resisting the urge...

Spartan Spotlight… Kendall Ayers

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Kendall Ayers has plans to travel after graduating from high school. The St. Joseph-Ogden senior plans to take a vacation...

It takes a Christmas village

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024

Roberta Morris’ childhood dream was to be an architect. Instead, she worked as a pipe fitter at the Clinton Nuclear...

10 things you don’t know about me… Tonya Yeazel

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph area resident to tell us 10 things we don’t know about them. This...

For Schmidt, hard work pays off

July 12, 2019

July 12, 2019

Sammi Schmidt isn’t afraid of hard work. The future Illinois State Redbird was awarded the Gary Butler award at St....

Kids Say…

August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019

Students from PVO South tell us if they would like to be a farmer. This post is sponsored by Longview...

Senior spotlight: Kassie Kelso

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions. Here are Kassie Kelso’s answers. What will you be doing...

She’s Back! Dukeman set to get another shot at softball this summer

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

Hannah Dukeman is getting a chance to play softball despite COVID-19 stealing her senior season at St. Joseph-Ogden High School....

5 Questions with Cohen Sands

January 26, 2023

January 26, 2023

We asked the members of the Heritage Bass Chorus five questions. Here are Cohen Sands answers. What does it mean...

Athletic complex to be dedicated tonight

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

 The St. Joseph-Ogden School District will honor Glenn Fisher tonight.The district voted in June 2020 to name the athletic complex...

How I get it done …. with Jennifer Huls Wayland

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked local business owners to describe their leadership style and how they make decisions. This week we talked to...

Wagners give back in a variety of ways

May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020

Jim and Jen Wagner like to help people. They have helped people through the pandemic at their business, Wagner Signs...

Comments
Leave a Reply