The Greene County Early Learning Center (GCELC) was recently notified it will be awarded $469,941 in grant funding from the state of Iowa to help construct a new 9,400 square foot facility adjacent to its current location.
GCELC will receive $75,000 through Future Ready Iowa’s special Child Care Challenge program and $394,941 from the DHS’s Investing in Iowa’s Childcare fund. Both initiatives were created by the state to increase access to high-quality, affordable childcare.
“We’re so excited to be awarded these grant funds to help us meet our goal to increase childcare access for working families in Greene County,” said Jacque Andrew, GCELC co-president. “The pool of money that was appropriated by Governor Reynolds reflects how important childcare access is to Iowa’s economy.”
The GCELC is in Jefferson but serves families throughout the area. In fact, just more than half of the children who currently utilize services reside outside of Jefferson.
“We’ve known for years that Greene county has a high percentage of all parents working which creates a great need for childcare spots,” said Bill Monroe, GCELC co-president. “This need unfortunately was acutely highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, not just in our county, but across the state and nation. Childcare is a priority.”
The substantial grants will be used by the GCELC board to support construction of a $1.98 million facility and provide furnishings that are designed specifically for early childhood care and education. The new building will provide the GCELC a permanent home with the technology, security and space infrastructure needed to eventually serve 145 children – an increase from its current licensure capacity of 94.
The timing of the award aligned perfectly with the GCELC board’s plans to kick off community fundraising through its “Growth Happens Here” campaign. According to Cherie Cerveny, GCELC director, the nearly yearlong project delay due to the pandemic allowed the board to make modifications, increase space efficiencies, and reduce the scale of the project by nearly $1 million.
“While it was discouraging a year ago to put everything on hold, especially after being notified of the $500,000 award from Grow Greene County, we’re confident this pause was beneficial in the end,” said Cerveny. “We’re excited to begin speaking to community members about the many benefits this project will not only offer our children, but the catalyst it will provide businesses for economic growth.”
The two state grants combined with the Grow Greene County award, a $250,000 commitment from the Greene County supervisors and other early donations have pushed the current fundraising total to more than $1,250,000. A volunteer committee is currently organizing its fundraising endeavors to begin securing the remaining $730,000 needed to ensure construction of the new childcare center.
When completed, the building will be fully owned and operated by the GCELC. This will mark the first time in the organization’s 16-year history that it provides childcare services in a permanent home – therefore increasing the center’s long-term sustainability.
According to Andrew, the more than five years of research, planning and design fine-tuning were worth the wait for the center’s fundraising campaign to come to fruition.
“Timing is everything, and we’re so pleased that we can tell our community we’ve already secured 60 percent of the funds needed before launching the campaign and requesting donations,” said Andrew. “These generous grants not only help the center but reduce other funds needed from the area. We are grateful for all of the support for the center and the care provided there.”
More information about the Growth Happens Here campaign will be provided in the coming weeks.
