Outstanding Educator: Josie Wermager and her Learning Wagon

Dashal Mentzel
·2 min read

ROCKLAND, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – A Rockland woman is creating opportunities for young kids by becoming an in-home daycare provider. First News at Nine’s Dashal Mentzel has more in this month’s edition of our Outstanding Educator Series.

Josie Wermager has worked in childcare for almost a decade. In May of 2022, she opened up Learning Wagon to bring a local daycare to her 2 daughters and other children in the area, “I wanted to be able to offer high-quality childcare for other families in a rural area like I am in Rockland. Bangor doesn’t have much for childcare, they don’t have after-school programs. So, it kind of just fell into place.”

Learning Wagon currently provides care for 8 children. Wermager wants to make Learning Wagon into a group center, meaning she will be able to provide early education and activities for more kids, “The comfort of providing that safe environment is (what) makes me feel that I am doing as much as I can for my community. That’s what I want to make sure parents feel with me. That they are safe and that they’re getting what they need.”

Wermager provides plenty of after-school activities that help the kids learn and grow, “We do special visitors, or we have a reptile guy from my part that comes brings animals for the kids to be able to physically feel and learn. We also do, like, park walks and stuff like that. We do a lot of crafts and activities.”

Wermager says her favorite part of teaching and providing for children is watching them develop, “I love being able to see them make their milestone, like when they finally learn like, Oh, “this is my name? I can identify it” and they glow. Like that makes me happy and, like, being able to connect with them that personally and having, like, a strong relationship. I’m not just all about like the kid. I like to get to know the family so I can adjust here for things that are at home.”

Whether it’s bringing in more after-school kids or helping other families that are local, Wermager’s goal is to continue providing care for her community. In Rockland Dashal Mentzel, First News at Nine.

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