Brooke Skidmore didn't have a childcare background when she opened The Growing Tree childcare center in New Glarus eight years ago. Skidmore, with a degree in Art Education, was struggling to find childcare options for her young daughters, so she and her brother, Brandon Legler, who has a degree in Family Studies and Human Development, began planning to fill the need they saw in the community. They built their facility and opened in the summer of 2013.

Not having a childcare background worked in their favor. "We were able to think outside the box and not feel the need to do things just b...