The Montgomery County Community Foundation, the Montgomery County Commissioners and the City of Crawfordsville are seeking additional partnerships to build a high-quality early learning center for the community.
The need is critical for families, employers and the community to have additional high-quality child care seats. The Montgomery County Early Learning Center is an investment opportunity that will support the community’s greatest asset — our children.
The site of this new facility is the former County Office Building at 110 W. South Blvd. County commissioners met with the MCCF and unanimously agreed the building be adapted for a new child care facility and county officials donated the site to the MCCF for this purpose.
With renovations and additions, the proposed 14,000 square foot facility will provide approximately 125 child care seats for infants through age five. The estimated cost to build this facility is $3.7 million. The building will be owned by the MCCF and they will partner with a high-quality provider to operate the facility. Plans are to open the Center in the spring of 2024. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2023,
To date the following businesses and organizations have pledged their partnership in this endeavor: Early Learning Indiana, City of Crawfordsville, Montgomery County Commissioners, Hoosier Heartland State Bank, Lakeside Book Company, Nucor, Tempur Sealy and Tri-County Bank and Trust.
Additional funding is needed for this vital project. Donations may be made to MCCF, P.O. Box 334, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 or visit www.mccf-in.org to donate online and choose the Montgomery County Early Learning Center Fund.
More detailed information about the proposed Early Learning Center can be found at www.mccf-in.org. To learn more about how you can partner and support this project, contact Kelly Taylor, MCCF, at 765-362-1267 or kelly@mccf-in.org.
An anonymous donor has pledged to match each dollar donated up to $500,000.
The groundwork has been laid, and much time and effort given, to increase local program quality and strengthen local program supports in the area of early education.
Current child care educators are committed to providing high-quality education and support. However, the fact remains that more high-quality seats are needed in Montgomery County as we are able to serve only 11% of our children under the age of five with high-quality care.
This serious issue also affects employers as a lack of available and affordable high-quality child care prevents parents from seeking and keeping employment, and results in work disruptions such as employee absences and turnover. The lack of access to child care costs Montgomery County businesses $7.9 million annually.
Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton, Montgomery County Commissioner President John Frey and Taylor all spoke about the importance of quality child care as an economic development component at Thursday’s fundraising kickoff.
“Childcare is an economic development issue,” Taylor said. “Child care is considered infrastructure just like roads and bridges.”
Barton said those who give are making an important investment into the lives of children.
“We are investing in the future of Montgomery County children,” Barton said. “This project is comprised of several people coming together to make positive things happen.”
The MCCF identified work in this area as a top strategic initiative, and a top priority in grant making. Using a proactive approach, the MCCF began to look for opportunities to expand child care seats in the community, with a focus on innovative and creative solutions. After months of discussions and planning, this transformational project for the community, more importantly, for the children, is now underway.
