“Child care is community infrastructure, just like housing, trails, recreation and more.”
– Winneshiek County Development and Tourism Executive Director Stephanie Fromm
New center construction offers increased amenities, including farm to school educational curriculum; Discovery Center exhibits to focus on Driftless Area natural resources and attractions.
By Tanya O’Connor
This week at the Co-op, shoppers have been provided the opportunity to “round up” purchase totals for Decorah’s future Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center. This Round Up at the Register event will continue through Monday, Oct. 24.
To date, the organization’s website indicates that $7,617,000 has been secured for the project. Following years of multi-faceted fundraising, the $8,500,000 goal is within sight. When completed, this space will address a critical child care shortage in Winneshiek County while simultaneously providing a learning kitchen, community multipurpose room, gymnasium and more.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5:30 p.m. at 902 Commerce Drive, Decorah. The public is welcome to attend.
Following is a Q&A with Winneshiek County Development and Tourism Executive Director Stephanie Fromm and Sunflower Child Development Center Executive Director Merlene Brown.
Oneota Co-op: What is the current waitlist for child care at Sunflower?
Fromm/Brown: There are approximately 160 children on the waitlist. They range in age from expected babies to 12 year olds.
Oneota Co-op: Is it true that families reserve spots upon discovering they’re expecting – or even before?
Fromm/Brown: This is absolutely true! Parents or expecting parents call to inquire when they are planning to start a family. Others call to say that they haven’t told their family yet, but knew they needed to call us FIRST – we have become very good secret keepers!
Oneota Co-op: Child care is a significant investment; what does a family with two small children typically allocate to it per year?
Fromm/Brown: A family with two children attending full-time will invest nearly $18,000 per year.
Oneota Co-op: What are the implications of this child care shortage for the entire area community?
Fromm/Brown: Child care is a community infrastructure, just like housing, trails, recreation and more.
In order for people to live in Decorah and the surrounding communities, they need basic items – a place to live, a place to get groceries, a place to get their hair cut, medical professionals, a school, before/after care for their school age children, and child care for their younger children. Without ALL of these, people will not be able to move here to take the jobs that are available. It becomes a workforce issue. Without safe, quality and affordable childcare, businesses and communities will be impacted by the lack of population growth, declining school enrollment and a hardship of finding people to work.
Oneota Co-op: What amenities will the new construction provide for child care specifically?
Fromm/Brown: The new center will include a learning kitchen for farm to school curriculum and after school learning opportunities, a multipurpose room that will be open to the public for training, birthday parties and meetings and a gymnasium for afterschool activities and free play. There also will be outdoor playgrounds that will be accessible to the public during evenings and weekends.
Oneota Co-op: What is the organization most looking forward to from this new build, and what necessary needs will be met?
Fromm/Brown: We are most looking forward to having a facility that is built for the purpose of early childhood! We currently “make things work” in a previous church building. Simple things like having bathrooms in the classroom and sufficient storage in the classroom are big ticket items. Toilets that are sized for toddlers and preschoolers are high on the list!
Of course, with the addition of the Discovery Center, there is much excitement for stimulating, indoor exploration. Because of our long winters, it can be very challenging to provide the kind of experiences we want for growing children without spaces that allow them to grow and learn in ways they are intended to do. When the temperature is 0 degrees for a week at a time, it is a challenge to manage (think 20 three-year-olds inside your house for 10 hours)! The indoor play space is going to be an incredible outlet for energy and exploration!
We also will have an indoor gym, allowing more space and opportunities for exercise and large group activities year round. Fitness classes will be taught to help the children achieve overall good health and wellness.
Oneota Co-op: What else will the Discovery Center offer, and how will it benefit area residents and visitors alike?
Fromm/Brown: The exhibits under development in the Discovery Center will be focused on, and encourage, a greater depth of understanding about scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, natural and archaeological resources in the Driftless Area and along the Driftless Area Scenic Byway. Exhibits will engage travelers in fun activities that help them learn about local natural resources and how to recognize healthy natural systems. As a result, they will be more likely to respectfully interact with and protect the resources and more likely to seek experiences throughout the corridor. Learning opportunities about well known sites and tourism attractions that make this area unique will be provided and will include the Upper Iowa River, Chimney Rock bluffs, Trout Run Trail, Decorah Fish Hatchery and Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School. Increased awareness and use of more sites in the region will disperse visitor traffic, bringing Winneshiek County communities to life.
Fromm noted that this project is the first of its kind and serves as a model for the state of Iowa. Next week’s groundbreaking has been a long time in coming; the project began in 2019 following a Community Child Care Needs Survey conducted by Winneshiek County Development and Tourism.
“We hope,” Fromm says, “to share this model with other child care advocates around the state to hopefully address the struggles in the child care business model and encourage communities to think about diversifying their new or existing center’s income based on community needs.”
The fundraising committee seeks to secure the remaining $900,000 needed for project completion prior to the new facility opening. The projected opening date is June, 2024. The remaining funds are dedicated to playground equipment, classroom supplies and Discovery Center play exhibits.
Oneota Co-op round up campaigns are intrinsically tied to the Co-op’s community service commitment as outlined in the Co-op Missions and Ends statement. Co-op shoppers are provided the opportunity to round up to the nearest dollar to support this organizational end, which reads as follows:
Oneota Community Co-op Organizational End number seven: “Our members are diverse and engaged, working together and sharing time, energy, and resources to build a resilient and thriving local community.”
