When they received the phone call, in early 1996, that the day care their daughter attended would close the next day, Doug and Kathy Hartley stepped in.

The couple turned Winslow Campus into First Years/A Learning and Child Care Community.

“We did it with the help of my parents,” Doug Hartley said, “They bought the assets.”

In the ensuing six years, First Years, located on Knechtel Way on the ground floor of a commercial building, has grown from 40 to about 70 children to become the island’s largest day care – and the only island day care currently accepting babies from two months to a year.

Because of the Learning Center’s proximity to the ferry, many First Years families commute, and some live as far away as Port Orchard.

“I commuted, so I left my daughter on Bainbridge.” Hartley said. “I really understand the concerns of parents who commute.”

First Years streamlines the lives of busy parents by providing all diapers and meals. In addition, Hartley, who worked for years as a medical assistant, can assess children’s illnesses.

“You can’t just look at temperature; some kids run high,” Hartley said. “You have to assess the whole child.”

Every three years, First Years must be relicensed, a process that includes visits by the state licensers and both the fire and health departments.

“Unlike small in-home day cares, we’re very much ruled by the state,” Hartley said. “They check our menus for vitamins C and E. They even check the slope of our slide.”

Employees range from moms looking for part-time work to high school students. Susan Jellicoe, who has been on staff for a decade, has a degree in early childhood education, as do several other staff.

All employees undergo a background check and pass a test for tuberculosis. They also learn CPR and first aid, Hartley says.

An upbeat attitude is also a must.

“We can’t come to work in a bad mood,” Hartley said. “We say ‘leave your problems on the other side of the gate.”

While large, the center keeps the personal touch, Hartley says.

“I do things like run medicine to a parent’s home if they forget,” Hartley said. “Parents can call on staff to babysit.”

First Years also opens at night once a month to give families a child-free evening.

First Years provides service from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. five days a week. The center charges parents a monthly rate that decreases with the age of the child, ranging from $950 for an infant full-time to $700 for an older child. The Hartleys note that some families adjust work schedules to reduce the number of days.

“People know the day care business is not a big money-maker,” Hartley said.

“They ask me why I do it. I really like the flexibility and this is a way for me to get my ‘children fix.’ I love being here to watch the kids grow up.

“It’s just sad when they ‘graduate.”