The Coddington Road Community Center in Ithaca is receiving $4.2 million in state funding for childcare.
A lack of affordable daycare has plagued communities across the country, particularly in more rural areas. Tompkins County has been referred to as a “childcare desert” by the Center for American Progress.
The state funding is being used to expand the center’s childcare facility, creating the space needed to accept over forty additional children into the program.
State Assemblymember Anna Kelles, who presented the funds at a ceremony on Wednesday, said she hopes to continue to expand the center’s capacity.
“It's moving in the right direction, but we have a lot of work to do here,” Kelles said.
There are currently over 340 children on the waitlist for care at the community center.
Kelles said a lack of childcare pushes parents, particularly mothers, out of the workforce.
“The state has really shifted to recognizing that child care is an economic development issue,” she said.
Heather Mount, the executive director of the Coddington Road Community Center, said the new wing will double their capacity. Construction on the new addition has already begun.
“Tompkins County has been classified as a child care desert,” Mount said. “There's a lot of work around the state to invest in child care in the local community and our hope in doubling in size is that we can assist with that.”
She said the new addition will include four classrooms and a gymnasium. Construction will wrap up around the end of December, with renovations to the original building to follow.
The expansion was paid for with an additional $700,000 in funding from the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council and $400,000 from the Tompkins Community Recovery Fund.
The nonprofit Childhood Development Council, an organization that serves families in Cortland and Tompkins County, also received $100,000 in state funds at the event.