The afternoon after her report, the commissioners approved a one-time financial contribution of $257,393 to the Miami County Land Reutilization Corporation (aka CIC) for the economic development and funding of childcare center providers in the county.
Childcare expansion grants for projects totaling $190,000 in funds are moving forward, Fackel said.
* Milton Union Early Childcare Center on South Miami Street, West Milton, was awarded a $100,000 grant for its plans to double its capacity from 49 seats to 99. Projects to accommodate the growth include installing a commercial kitchen and adding a fire alarm system.
* Tipp City Preschool Learning Center on Main Street, Tipp City, was awarded a $50,000 grant to increase capacity from 82 to 125 children. The money will go toward new classrooms, including a large interactive sensory classroom to care for special needs children. The center also will add handicap-accessible bathrooms, in addition to making other safety upgrades. These improvements are part of an extensive expansion/renovation totaling over $200,000; at the time of application they had raised $145,000.
* Troy Kids Preschool on West Main Street, Troy, will offer 115 spots for toddlers and preschoolers. They also will offer 30 affordable extended care slots for children ages 3-5 after the school day ends until 5 pm. This is a new licensed daycare that was awarded a $40,000 grant to support playground resurfacing, a storage shed for classroom materials and five Chromebooks.
The childcare initiative is part of the county’s workforce development focus. County officials have cited a desire for more child care options for people at all income levels, to help people get back in the workforce and help employers who need to find more employees.
The commissioners in mid-2022 approved $342,850 to contract with the Comprehensive Community Child Care Organization, dba 4C for Children of Dayton, to provide resources for existing and future childcare centers and home programs in the county. A different approach was agreed to several months ago with the $257,393 returned to the county from 4C.
Fackel said the county is pleased to see the program’s momentum.
“We are very encouraged about the momentum. One variable that we think is helping with that is the focus on the fixed asset investment part of the childcare center need, as opposed to the early stages of the 4C project which focused more on training and the like,” she said.
With the three grants approved this month, $67,000 remains in the ARPA funding for this effort.
“We are always looking for prospective partners. We are aware of potential projects in Piqua and Troy, and would love to hear from other providers who could increase childcare capacity with some additional funding,” Fackel said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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