The ability to watch the children grow developmentally and improve every day is very rewarding.”

Deanne Patten

For the past ten years, Firehouse Friends Childcare Center has been a flourishing facility in the Stanley community, supporting working families while providing a safe, caring environment for their children. The childcare center has become a second home for children from one week to twelve years old, providing attention and learning, while preparing them for the next steps in their educational journeys.
Born and raised on her family’s beef and dairy farm in the Stanley area, Deanne Patten, owner of Firehouse Friends Childcare Center with her husband, Steven, has always envisioned establishing her business in the Stanley area.
“I truly love children and serving my community was always something I wanted to do,” Patten said. In 2014, as she finished her last year pursuing her associate’s degree in early childhood education from Chippewa Valley Technical College, Deanne and Steven toured the current building and fell in love with the location and potential that they saw. Patten emphasizes their passion for supporting the local area while providing educational experiences for the young children in their care. “We are very blessed to be able to serve the community that we were both born and raised in.”
Over the last ten years, Patten has taken on many roles, serving as the director, administrator, cook, and teacher for the 2-3-year-old class, all while being the owner of Firehouse Friends and working for Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA). Patten mentions that friendship and love are the most rewarding aspects of running Firehouse Friends.
“The number of people that I have met and built relationships with means the world to me. I love getting to know people. I love meeting the new families that move to our great community. I love learning about other people. This year’s senior class (at Stanley-Boyd High School) are some of my first children at FFCC and that is very cool to see.” She adds, “The parent support that we receive I hope never goes away. I am truly blessed to have our staff, families, and children that attend FFCC.”
Patten highlights her remarkable staff that includes director Dani Thornton, assistant director, McKenzie Derks, the administrative team of Addison Reed, Angie Stumpner and Melinda Brown, and incredible teaching staff.
“I work hard to help those who I can make a difference in their life to grow as an employee, while they work in our work family workplace environment,” she says. She notes that the importance of resiliency has been the focus in the monthly staff meetings and hopes to continue supporting each staff member as much as possible. “Our staff go above and beyond to do what I ask of them,” she says proudly.
Patten mentions that Firehouse Friend’s many field trips give parents, friends, and families of the children the opportunity to volunteer and chaperone. “I truly value the parent involvement and support that we receive.”
Patten highlights the various events designed for families to celebrate the important figures in the children’s lives, including “Muffins with Mom” and “Donuts with Dad.”
“In the summer we have an all-center picnic where two special people in each child’s life can come and enjoy a picnic lunch at FFCC with their child on our playground.” Patten reflects on the annual Christmas Concert, mentioning that staff begin working with the children in September to prepare for the event. “Year after year I am in awe by the turnout that we receive. We have grown from having this event in our 2-3-year-old classroom to our school age classroom and now we use the Stanley Elementary Gym and fill the bleachers with family and friends to watch the children perform,” she says.
Since its initial opening in 2014, Firehouse Friends Childcare Center has grown tremendously from a small facility with a handful of children to a thriving center that serves numerous families. When the childcare center first opened, it had three teachers and seven children and was licensed for 54 children. Firehouse Friends currently has twenty-eight teachers and is licensed for 104 children. The growth was so significant that in 2016, Pilgrim Construction built an addition to Firehouse Friends Childcare Center consisting of two classrooms, a storage room, and another staff bathroom.
“We chose to add on because I had used the old Stanley Elementary Library the summer prior and having two locations as the director and administrator was too hard for me to balance on my own, so we chose to add on to be able to accommodate all our children in one building,” explains Patten. “With our summer program continually growing year after year as we incorporate fun activities and field trips, we now use the Stanley school for sixteen children; however, my director, Dani Thornton and assistant director, McKenzie Derks oversee that program to help balance the workload,” she says referring to the second location, Firehouse Friends Station 2 that is opened in the summer at the Stanley school for sixteen additional children.
The impressive accomplishments of Firehouse Friends Childcare Center in such a short time have been remarkable and its commitment to providing high-quality care and educational programs has earned the trust and loyalty of parents, allowing Firehouse Friends to grow its facilities and expand its educational offerings. Patten shares details about the new educational program currently offered at Firehouse Friends.
“We now offer a preschool program that runs during the school year. We always incorporated shapes, colors, number recognition, letter recognition, and learning concepts; however, since September of 2024 we have started putting what we do on a calendar and plan specific learning concepts each day to keep our parents connected with the learning that we are teaching here at FFCC, where Learning is on Fire!” she states.
While Firehouse Friends Childcare Center has achieved incredible success, Patten has ambitious plans for the future. “I would love to have a 4K classroom here someday. I also can’t wait to continue to meet new families and children. The smiles, hugs, and watching them learn is so heartwarming to me,” she says. “My motto here is that I am crazy but a good crazy. I am always looking for new ideas and activities to incorporate for the children to grow and learn every day. I also encourage them to smile because it is contagious.”
Patten wants the community to know how grateful Firehouse Friends Childcare Center is for the support that they have received over the years. “Thank you! If it wasn’t for each family that has supported us, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I am so thankful for the friendships and relationships that I have formed from the children to staff to parents to grandparents.” She continues, “I strive to greet all our families and be able to connect with them. Truly thank you for believing in us. It is very heartwarming with how much FFCC has grown over the years.”
Looking to make a difference in your community? Patten acknowledges that childcare can be a challenging profession and emphasizes that they are always looking for people “to take on the challenge.” One of their mottos is, “We are always hiring good people.”
“Childcare is a challenging field for staff and can be a steppingstone for most of our team as they are going through college or looking for something new to try. We are not babysitters as we teach, learn, and play with the children daily,” she says. “It is also very rewarding with the hugs, smiles, and love you receive from the children. The ability to watch the children grow developmentally and improve every day is very rewarding.”
As Fire House Friends Childcare Center celebrates ten years of service, it stands as a testament to the hard work of Deanne, Steven, and their staff, and their commitment to investing in the future of the children in the Stanley-Boyd community. Here’s to many more years of growth, learning, and discovery!