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Sep. 23, 2022 10:10 am
A new community child care center is coming to Brooklyn in 2023.
Brooklyn Community Estate is excited to announce that they have been awarded the State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant in the amount of $426,225. The 50-50 matching grant was awarded on Sept. 13.
The new child care center will be named Bear Creek Kids Campus. It will be located north of the high school and south of the Ruritan’s building on the south half of the circle drive entering the BGM baseball and softball complex.
A groundbreaking is slated for this fall with construction expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.
Cathy Essick, marketing director with Brooklyn Community Estate, said owner Shane Sissel had a goal and was looking for a way to provide child care for his employees when he learned of the State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant.
“As we got into it and researched, we realized that there was a great need for child care in the Brooklyn Community,” said Essick. “The slots in Brooklyn only cover about 50 percent of the community need.”
The State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant is directed toward employees of Iowa businesses for child care needs to expand the number of slots in the state.
A business applying for the grant is required to have 70 full-time employees on staff.
With Brooklyn Community Estate being home to around 38 full-time employees, Essick said a non-monetary consortium was formed with BGM Community Schools, Manatts and the New Brooklyn Development organization to apply for the grant. The remaining funds to construct the child care center will be privately funded.
“Right now we are working with a builder and an architect on the project,” noted Essick.
The day care center will be owned and operated by Brooklyn Community Estate. The new child care center will be licensed for up to 70 children, ages 6 weeks and over, and will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
“There will also be a before and after school program and a summer program for school-age children,” said Essick.
A Bear Creek Kids Campus Facebook page has been created and a website is in the works. For more information on the grant, visit futureready.org.
“We are excited to assist our employees and our community with more access to child care,” noted Shane Sissel, owner of Brooklyn Community Estate.
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