Funds would assist in care center’s expansion
The Fort Dodge City Council passed a series of resolutions Monday night that is meant to address a need for additional child care opportunities in the Webster County area.
“The need was identified through a child care needs assessment and feasibility study that was completed in November of 2016,” City Clerk Jeff Nemmers said.
The meeting opened up with a public hearing to allow the opportunity for citizen participation and comment on the proposed construction of an addition to the Community Early Childhood Center, 1314 S. 24th St. There were no written comments submitted for the hearing, nor were there any members of the public who chose to attend the hearing.
The first resolution approves and adopts the Community Development and Housing Needs Assessment, which is needed for the city to submit an application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority to request the funding of $800,000 through the Community Development Block Grant Community Facilities program on behalf of the CECC.
The second resolution, which is to approve the filing of the application, highlights that “statistically, the Webster County area has a need for 1,740 additional child care spaces.”
The center has been providing child care in Fort Dodge for nearly 50 years and has a capacity of 151 children, with an additional 64 on its waiting list. The center is limited by building structure, but it has a small amount of land available for expansion and preliminary design work on an addition that would increase the center’s capacity by 56 spaces has been completed.
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