Cedar Valley child care centers making plans for expansion, upgrades after receiving state grant funds

Apr. 7—DENVER — Future uses of the existing high school are taking shape with the award of $870,000 in state grants allowing for expansion of a child care center in the building.

Denver Community Schools is constructing a new secondary building that grades six through 12 are expected to move into next fall. Portions of the high school, at 541 E. Eagle St., would become the new home of Discoveries Learning Center. The child care center already partners with the district and is now located at 401 E. Franklin St., a former kindergarten through second-grade school.

"When the full project is completed, it will expand the number of children we're able to serve and the age range we're able to serve," said Kathy Bohlmann, the program's director. "The goal is when the full project is complete that we'll be able to serve infants through fifth grade."

Currently, Discoveries can serve children starting at 2 years old. Now licensed for 191 children, that capacity will double "when all phases of the project are complete," she said. The youngest children served at that point would be six weeks old.

"It will be renovations and for getting up to code," Elementary Principal Josh Sinram said of how the grant money will be used. "We need to have an (outside) exit in every room. There will be some plumbing that we will do for sinks and restrooms."

"It's always been the vision of myself and our administration as well as our board to expand when we had the opportunity to do so," said Superintendent Brad Laures. "And everything seems to have fallen in place with building the new high school and middle school."

The state announced nearly $37 million in Child Care Challenge and Investing in Iowa Child Care grants in January to expand or upgrade 108 facilities in 72 communities across Iowa, according to a news release. Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Human Services allocated $26.9 million in DHS federal funds, the Legislature appropriated $3 million, and $6.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan money is being distributed. The Child Care Challenge grants require matching funds.

Of those awards across the state, 10 were in Black Hawk County and surrounding areas, like Denver. Those projects received grants totaling $3.85 million.

Waterloo projects

A large project planned in Waterloo by Cedar Valley Kids would be located on 2.75 acres next to UnityPoint Health facilities in the North Crossing area near East Fourth Street and U.S. Highway 63. The property was donated by Ben Stroh, who is developing the North Crossing area.

It would be built to serve 110 children and have an estimated staff of 30. The organization plans to build a total of three sites in the next five to seven years, all with a similar capacity.

"We are a new startup that will look at a new business partnership model," said Mary Janssen, a member of the organization's advisory board who works for Child Care Resource and Referral of Northeast Iowa. Businesses will invest in the program to reserve spaces for employees' children at the centers.

Cedar Valley Kids got a $25,000 grant for the project. Coupled with another state grant of the same size, it is being used to help fund design services for the new building.

"We're working now on our capital campaign where we're writing (requests) for grants," said Janssen. "We hope to break ground in 2023."

Blessed Sacrament Early Childhood Center, another Waterloo grant receipient, was awarded $109,840 for equipment and upgrades related to health and safety needs. The center, which has experienced rapid growth in recent months, serves about 200 children. Work is underway on the improvements, said director Carley Epling, which have already allowed for the addition of almost 25 slots at the center.

"Our space is currently full, preschool down to nursery," said Epling. "We have a wait list for every age. We get a couple calls every day to get put on our wait list."

Other projects

St. Timothy's Lutheran Preschool & Child Care in Hudson received a $335,814 grant for equipment and facility upgrades.

"The majority of the grant was put in an outdoor play space for our center," said director Clara Nehmer. Officials are also planning "renovation of an old corn crib as an outdoor classroom" and the purchase of a freezer and kitchen supplies.

Last year, the center received a $149,000 state grant to renovate its building. That allowed it to add 30 spaces and begin serving children as young as 18 months. It now has a capacity of 75 children.

Little Knights Learning Center in Dysart received grants totaling $639,830. The organization had finished building its center in July with a capacity of 85 children, 16 more than when it was in the adjacent Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School. However, supply chain shortages and inflation during the pandemic caused large cost overruns.

With the grants, the center reached its $1.4 million fundraising goal.

"The city of Dysart loaned us $500,000 and we were able to pay that off," said Aly Goken, vice president of the center's board. "This (grant funding) will also go towards building our playground, which we hope to start this summer."

Other grant amounts and recipients are:

* $55,650, Bosco Catholic Schools' St. Joseph Center preschool in Raymond for security upgrades and required Americans with Disabilities Act improvements.

* $728,000, Community United Child Care Centers to renovate its Nordic Drive facility in Cedar Falls and build an addition with 55 new spaces for children.

* $600,000, Learn & Play Preschool & Daycare in Cedar Falls to construct an addition and purchase a building for 50 new child care spaces.

* $231,845, Islamic Foundation of Iowa'sLittle Stars Child Care Center in Waterloo to fund remaining work related to equipment, classrooms and other final critical needs after construction got underway in 2018.

* $250,000, The Right Place Child Care in Jesup to develop additional day care for children up to age 3.

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