Daycare center construction set for March
SSM HEALTH IMAGE
Shown are a conceptual floor plan and front elevation for a new $3.2 million preschool and daycare center to be constructed next year on the campus of SSM Health St. Francis Hospital in Maryville. The 15,800-square-foot, single-story facility is to include 11 classrooms designed to accommodate infants and children up to 5 years old along with a large “activity center,” a kitchen, staff offices, and a combination staff break room and conference area.
Officials at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital are preparing for the start of construction this spring of an expanded preschool and daycare center that will double the capacity of the hospital’s current facility at 2112 S. Main St.
Work on the new 15,800-square-foot facility, to be located on the hospital campus between the SSM Health Medical Group clinic and Maryville Middle School, is expected to begin in March and continue through early 2018.
According to a conceptual floor plan recently released by St. Francis, the L-shaped, one-story structure will include 11 classrooms designed to accommodate infants and children up to 5 years old along with a large “activity center,” a kitchen, staff offices, and a combination staff break room and conference area.
As reported earlier, the center is to increase St. Francis’ current daycare capacity to 136 children and serve as the site for Early Head Start, which will be the first early childhood education and enrichment program of its kind in Nodaway County.
In addition, the facility will offer a practicum venue for Northwest Missouri State University students working toward degrees and certifications in early childhood education.
Besides helping diminish what is widely perceived as a shortage of infant and toddler daycare opportunities in the Maryville area, local civic leaders are hailing the center as an engine for growth and an incentive for young families to make Maryville their home.
“The single best economic development investment a community can make is early childhood development,” said Josh McKim, executive director of Nodaway county Economic Development.
“The positive impact of money spent on this affects the community for years, and SSM’s leadership in early childhood development further establishes the hospital as a key economic development engine for the community and region.”
In addition to providing funds from reserves for construction, the hospital earlier this year received Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits through the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which are expected to yield $500,000 toward completion of the $3.2 million facility.
In a recent release, St. Francis officials said approximately $255,000 in 50-percent credits remains available for purchase by qualified contributors.
“This is an opportunity to make a lasting difference for our children and our community,” said hospital President Mike Baumgartner. “Your generosity will be paying dividends for many years.”
Other center financing includes $1 million in the form of Community Development Block Grant funds set aside under Gov. Jay Nixon’s Smart Start initiative, which is designed to expand access to early childhood education statewide.
Smart Start is currently in its third, and possibly final, year, since Nixon is nearing the end of his second and last term in office.
Under state regulations, block grant money must be spent on construction, but NAP tax credit proceeds are flexible and can be used to cover a number of preschool development costs — anything from furniture to staffing.
In applying for the grant and tax credits, St. Francis worked closely with the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments and the City of Maryville.
Since community development grants can only be issued to governments, the city acted as a “pass through” fiscal agent — the actual grant recipient — and turned the money over to the hospital, which bears all responsibility for using the funds appropriately.
St. Francis began providing daycare and early childhood learning programs in 1986 after converting the current 3,000-square-foot facility, a former single-family home built in the late 1950s.
For more information about purchasing tax credits or participating in other St. Francis fundraising programs, call Development Officer Megan Jennings at 660-562-7933 or email [email protected].
