(From the Findlay Family YMCA)
Can we build it? YES, WE WILL! To celebrate the start of construction on our state-of-the-art Early Learning Center (ELC), the Findlay Family YMCA will host a public groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. The 10 a.m. event will take place on the greenspace behind the Downtown Branch at 300 E. Lincoln St.
Some of the Y’s youngest members will don hard hats and turn dirt alongside YMCA employees, elected officials, and other community leaders in anticipation of much-needed additional and affordable facility and educational offerings to serve the region’s youth.
The ELC represents the first phase of a transformative two-phase Stronger Together Capital Campaign centered on community partnerships, growth, and enhanced well-being.
The $10 million, 20,500-square-foot center is expected to open by early fall, 2025. This project will be followed by Phase II, which will feature a reconstructed downtown branch for enhanced health, wellness, and gathering/learning spaces, along with East Branch enhancements.
“With the Findlay Family YMCA Early Learning Center, we are not just building a facility, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more connected community. This innovative center will provide essential childcare services that our region desperately needs, ensuring every child has access to a caring environment that fosters growth and development. Together, we are not only addressing a critical need but also investing in the future of our community.”
“I am thrilled about the groundbreaking of the new Early Learning Center, which is a monumental step forward for our YMCA and the Findlay/Hancock County community we serve,” said YMCA Board President Matthew Hull. “This exciting development will provide a nurturing, state-of-the-art environment for our children to learn and grow. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the visionary leaders who laid the groundwork for this project and to the generous donors whose support has made it a reality. Your dedication and commitment to our mission are truly inspiring, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact this center will have for years to come.”
The licensed childcare center will include three infant rooms, four toddler rooms, five pre-K rooms, one school-age room, a cafeteria/activities room, a gross motor skills room, a mentor/break/workspace room, a room for nursing mothers and meeting space, and a secure lobby.
The ELC will serve children with sensory needs by providing space, specialized equipment, and developmentally appropriate teaching, socialization, and individualized discovery approaches. For children of all ages and abilities, the existing focus on innovative and values-driven teaching will carry over to the ELC, where the new space will better support these efforts and community partnership growth.
The new ELC will be able to serve as many as 320 children.
Evidence indicates the region is in dire need of more childcare options.
From a financial perspective, the end of emergency pandemic funding has impacted thousands throughout Ohio, with parents having to choose between paying for childcare or working. According to the Hancock County Childcare Collaborative, which includes representatives from the Y, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, Findlay-Hancock County United Way, Blanchard Valley Health System, Hancock County Job and Family Services, and McComb Childcare, a one-child household pays an average of nearly $10,000 annually to their childcare provider. The coalition’s 2023 study also found that for every one childcare spot, there are approximately 10 children on a waiting list. It is estimated that 2,000 children ages 0-4 need full-time care.
The ELC is a strategic solution to this growing problem. It will accommodate more children and offer more subsidized care, ensuring that childcare is more accessible from affordability and enrollment standpoints.
Easing the burden on our caregivers and providing our community’s youngest with the most nurturing environment possible is a moral imperative.
The ELC will replace the YMCA’s 51-year-old Mary Brenner Child Development Center at 231 E. Lincoln St., which has aged out of its capacity to fully meet the needs of families. The CDC is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act; lacks flexible program spaces for youth development, educator learning, and parental accommodations; and requires navigating a busy intersection for access to the main facility’s amenities, such as its pools and gymnasiums, that CDC students enjoy and rely upon to build a foundation for lifelong healthy living.
During ELC construction, the Downtown Branch will remain open as will adjacent East Hardin and East Lincoln streets. Traffic may be impacted occasionally due to equipment and materials moving to and from the site.
Stronger Together continues to fundraise for both phases, with the ELC being prioritized to address the region’s immediate childcare needs.
Our website at www.findlayymca.org will soon have a “Capital Campaign” tab with additional building details, construction updates, ways to give to our Stronger Together campaign, and features on the people who are making the campaign possible.
