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The newly constructed daycare buildings, built by ATCC's carpentry students, will help address the critical childcare shortage in the º£½ÇÉçÇø area by creating space for up to 28 additional children.

The innovative project was made possible through collaboration between multiple local organizations. The º£½ÇÉçÇø Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) provided the land, cost estimates, and building plans, while partial funding came from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the City of º£½ÇÉçÇø, West Central Initiative and the º£½ÇÉçÇø Economic Development Authority (EDA).

“By engaging ATCC Students in the project, it gave them the experience of a build and helped the City reduce costs significantly. Having the collaboration with ATCC was a significant community partnership that really helped the project get legs to it.” said Nicole Fernholz Director at º£½ÇÉçÇø Area Economic Development Commission.

The daycare facilities will begin accepting applications from potential childcare providers and families sometime during May 2025. “The City has contracted a Childcare Project Manager who will help facilitate the process accepting the applications. She will also be a mentor to the providers during their first year of business- helping them find training, setting up their financial information and finding any applicable childcare grants. The thought is to really set them up to succeed and having a mentor will be a tremendous help!” Fernholz added.

Final site work, including landscaping and paving, will be completed throughout the summer, with the facilities expected to open by August 1, 2025. Once operational, the daycares will accommodate up to 14 children each, for a total of 28 new childcare spots in the community.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of everyone involved. Special thanks to the students that worked on this project, the instructors that guided them and all of the organizations that collaborated to make this happen for our community.