WESTBROOK – The day care center formerly known as Lollipop Lane will re-open as soon as this summer under new ownership, according to a Portland woman who is planning to take it over.

Mindy Brigham, who has a background in teaching, has applied for a license to run a day care center at the 18 Patrick Drive location from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Department spokesman John Martins said the state will take anywhere from 30-90 days to conduct routine investigations, including background checks on Brigham’s employees, before making its decision. Barring a problem with the license, Brigham said this week that she is shooting for an opening date of July 5.

“Things are moving along pretty quickly,” she said.

The day care center made headlines in February, when then-owner AnneMarie Hebert abruptly closed the center, citing various financial problems as the reason. Within days, local businesswoman Norma Wolf announced she had received an emergency license from the state to keep Lollipop Lane open, with the same staff, but under a new name, the Wolf’s Den.

But that never happened. Despite the announcements, the center never actually reopened.

The new center, pending license approval from the state, will be called The Academy for Active Learners, and already has a website up at www.theacademyforactivelearners.com.

Brigham said she is doing some minor renovations in the center, making space for an exercise/activity room for the kids. According to officials with the city’s planning and code enforcement office, the renovations aren’t major, and the center therefore doesn’t need to re-apply for permits.

Brigham, a single mom of a 3-year-old son herself, has a degree in childhood studies from Plymouth State University. She has worked as a third-grade student teacher in New Hampshire, and also taught seventh and eighth grade in Arizona.

Brigham said she also worked as a nanny, and served as a substitute teacher at a juvenile hall in San Diego, Calif. While working there, Brigham said, she worked part time for a workers compensation consulting firm to make extra money. She ended up working at that firm full-time briefly, but when the company laid her off last year, Brigham said, she took it as a sign to get back into working with children.

“That really gave me the push to get back into what I love,” she said.

So after returning to the Portland area where she grew up, Brigham began putting together her business plan for starting a day care center. Upon learning that Lollipop Lane closed, Brigham decided to try to re-open the center, but in a smaller capacity. While Lollipop Lane served well over 100 children, Brigham said she is planning for a maximum of 70 kids. In addition, unlike Lollipop Lane, Brigham said her care will be 9-5, and not include before or after care.

Brigham said she is hiring six full-time and two part-time teachers. The center will be holding an open house on June 17 from 6-8 p.m. So far, Brigham said, she has verbal commitments from about six families, with a total of 10 children among them.

Brigham said while it has been some time since the center closed and many parents of Lollipop Lane’s children have already found other day care centers, she is still confident that many other parents will consider bringing their children to her new center.

“I do think we will attract some of the kids we had here before,” she said.