Bayheath’s Sussex Campus in Milford was the site of a dedication event for the soon-to-be-opened Ann Burton Center for Children Nov. 19, as attendees were able to take a tour of the new facility.

The center will provide child care services for 102 Bayhealth employees at the Sussex Campus. 

“In order to retain and attract the best and brightest caregivers to come to Bayhealth to take care of all of us, we need to have amenities and benefits that really help those folks,” said Lindsay Rhodenbaugh, president of the Bayhealth Foundation.

Rhodenbaugh said the center will also serve as a care center for employees and their family members during emergencies. The child care center will be open 13 hours a day, seven days a week and can serve children ranging from babies to school age, with the majority of the kids preschoolers, kindergarteners and school age. Bayhealth will have 25 employees at the center, which is scheduled to open in early 2026. Besides classrooms, the center also includes two outdoor playgrounds and an indoor playground, a kitchen and a laundry room. Each room has its own bathroom and exit to the outside. 

The center is named for Ann Burton, matriarch of the Burton family, which founded the i.g. Burton Auto Group. 

“She was a woman of courage,” said Terry Murphy, CEO of Bayhealth. “She was a woman of great integrity. And she had a huge heart. This is not a drop-off child care facility. The teams here are interested in educating young children to their fullest potential. There’s no better place to have Ann Burton’s name than the work that will go on for the children of our team members.”

“Bayhealth will be able to offer child care in their recruitment of talented medical professionals with the use of this building,” said Charlie Burton, son of Ann Burton and current president of i.g. Burton Auto Group. “Talent is what makes your business. This is another ace in our corner in order to attract them to Milford.”