Columbus State to build new child care center on its downtown campus
Center will address critical community child care needs and train region’s next generation of child care professionals
Campus News | Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Pictured above: Columbus State's existing, small-scale Wonder School pre-K collaboration program at The Childhood League, offered in partnership with the Columbus Museum of Art. The college's new on-campus center under development to open later this year will offer capacity for nearly 100 children.
Columbus State Community College will invest $3.5 million into construction of a new child care center designed to meet parent needs and train the next generation of skilled child care professionals in central Ohio.
The center, which will have capacity for nearly 100 children, is expected to open in the Autumn 2023 semester on Columbus State’s downtown campus and will serve Columbus State student-parents, Columbus State employees, and other parents in the community for whom access to child care remains a barrier.
“This is an important step within Columbus State’s commitment to support increased equitable prosperity within our region,” said President David Harrison. “The on-campus presence of a child care center, informed by our faculty’s expertise as a leader in early childhood education, will make a big difference in the lives of our student-parents, future child care professionals, and working families.”
The child care center will be located adjacent to the college’s Center for Workforce Development building, near Grove Street and Cleveland Avenue.
Columbus State will fund construction of the new child care center through proceeds of a bond issue approved by Franklin County voters in April 2020 to support the modernization of college classrooms, labs, and infrastructure. The bond issue supports the college’s work to better prepare students for in-demand jobs and create a stronger workforce for the region.
The center will be operated by The Childhood Development Council of Franklin County, Inc., which will partner with the college’s academic Early Childhood Development & Education program. Details about eligibility, pricing, and how parents can enroll their children will be shared once the operator is in place. Pricing will be offered at rates designed to be affordable for student-parents and working families.
“Our early childhood development and education professors and their students are very excited about the hands-on learning opportunities a newly imagined on-campus child care center offers to deploy the latest innovations in the field,” said Terrence Brown, dean of Health and Human Services. “The college’s investment recognizes the child care crisis our community is facing as pandemic challenges have contributed to a high center closure rate and diminishing potential worker pipeline.”
Columbus State’s new child care center will serve up to 94 students, from infants to pre-K students. It will have six classrooms, with three designated for infant-to-toddler engagement, and three for pre-K instruction. The center will also have two large multipurpose rooms and an outdoor play area.
Regional need
Columbus State’s plan to establish a new child care center aligns with the City of Columbus’s Recovery and Resiliency Advisory Committee recommendations for inclusive economic development recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Columbus State Executive Vice President Rebecca Butler served on the committee.
The report, which was issued in November 2021, noted that “One of the most central obstacles to a more complete and even return to work is lack of child care. No access to child care is often a barrier to enter the workforce, but it is also often a field of work that has many barriers to entry. In both cases, removing the barriers drives workforce growth and development.”
According to the central Ohio child care resource and referral agency Action for Children, one in six regional child care centers closed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with half of those remaining reporting that they are not able to cover expenses.
Questions and answers
The child development center at Columbus State Community College will open within Autumn Semester 2023. The specific opening date will be determined later in 2023.
The center will serve children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, with a capacity of 94 children. The center will offer both full-time and part-time care in six classrooms, with three designated for infants to toddlers, and three for pre-kindergarten-aged children.
The child development center will operate from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Adjacent to the Center for Workforce Development building, 315 Cleveland Avenue.
Information about tuition rates and eligibility will be shared after Columbus State completes an agreement with the master operator of the center. This agreement is expected to be completed in the first few months of 2023. The center is designed to offer equitable student-parent access, at a price point within reach for working families.
Enrollment information will be shared after Columbus State completes an agreement with the master operator of the center. This agreement is expected to be completed in the first few months of 2023.
Columbus State will prioritize access for student-parents and employees of the college, but the center is also intended to serve families from nearby neighborhoods, and downtown commuter workers.
Columbus State is finalizing the agreement with the master operator of the center. Once this is completed, employment information will be shared.
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