Starting in October, an early childhood nonprofit plans to offer families a new play space, a new way to connect with resources and more at the former Trout Museum of Art building at Houdini Plaza in Appleton.
After over a year of construction and fundraising, First 5 Fox Valley announced at a July 14 event that the Fox Valley Family Resource Center is planning its grand opening for Oct. 10. It also kicked off the public phase of its capital campaign, which is about 90% of the way to its $8 million goal.
Once it opens, the Fox Valley Family Resource Center will be a place for families to receive resources and support, whether they need diapers, parenting classes, developmental screenings or a place to gather with other parents. The play space will be free and open to the public.
Since the project launched June 2025, the building at 111 W. College Ave. has changed on the outside: new signs, a new concrete entrance, new window art, a new roof with solar panels. Inside, a full-scale transformation is in progress, with Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction Inc. renovating the water pipes, sewer lines, HVAC and electrical systems. First 5, which now owns the building, eventually plans to give the first floor a garden-themed makeover for an indoor play space.
The center has raised $7.35 million of its $8 million goal so far, with about $750,000 left to go. About $4.85 million of that funding comes from public grants from the State of Wisconsin, Outagamie County and the City of Appleton through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Wisconsin Department of Administration Grants for Local Projects program. The rest of the money comes from corporations, foundations and individual donors.
The public phase of the campaign is meant to cover “all the pieces to start programming” and possible emergency repairs, said First 5 executive director Barb Tengesdal.
A First 5 parent advocate, Menasha resident Jasmine Xiong, told the Appleton Post-Crescent that she was most excited for the chance for parents to collaborate and connect. Organizations that have helped her family, she said, “are all going to be in one place to help the next parent in my shoes.”
New family resource center to increase access to area families looking for help
Since summer 2025, Tengesdal said, more organizations have committed to being part of the center, and the office space in the building is about 90% full. The organizations that will be housed in the building include Casa Hispana, Samaritan Counseling, Hope & Help Together, an Outagamie County office, Spierings Cancer Foundation, Empowered Tutoring, Partnership Community Health Center, Help Me Grow Fox Valley, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin and Children’s Resource Center Northeast.
And, on the third floor, Building for Kids will open Launchpad Playful Preschool for ages 3-5, with an anticipated start date of Oct. 5. Tengesdal said that, as of July 14, 15 families had already signed up their children.
Hope & Help Together executive director Kayla McNamara said in her remarks at the July 14 event that an office in the resource center will help her team in their work with immigrant and refugee families in the Fox Cities, as many of them face barriers to transportation. “It’s a varied, safe, easy way of accessing other trusted people who are here because they care,” she said. The center is also within walking distance of Fox Valley Literacy, the National Alliance for Mental Health, Pillars and the Appleton Public Library.
For her part, Xiong said in prepared remarks that she hopes families will be more easily able to find resources and connection at the center. She talked about how her daughter’s autism diagnosis changed her view on asking for help – that “it wasn’t a sign of weakness, it was a strength.”
“Every parent deserves a place to feel supported and respected,” Xiong added. “I know how powerful it can be when another parent says, ‘I’ve been there, and you’re not alone.'”
Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Fox Valley Family Resource Center announces October opening date
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
