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Federation bank donates to Richland day care center
Jerry B. Robinson Child Care Center to open in August, a block off the town square
RICHLAND — Federation Bank has donated $15,000 to the Jerry B. Robinson Child Care Center in Richland. Members of the center’s board say the money will help them furnish playground equipment and toys for the facility, expected to open with a capacity for 51 children this August.
The rest of the money will go to the center’s fund for ongoing expenses.
“We hope to sustain our program,” said Kerry Hadley, chair of the child care center’s board. “Our goal, before we leave this board, is to have sustainability for a three-year plan, so that the day care center will continue on … obviously, we’re not going to have money to pay people unless we have it raised.”
The five-figure check presented on Wednesday, Feb. 28 is the latest contribution in an impressive fundraising campaign for the center, which has also received donations from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation and plenty of local supporters.
Federation Bank Customer Service Representative Nicole Meacham said the business was happy to throw its name behind the initiative as well.
“In the area, there’s not really a whole lot of child care, so we recognize the need for it,” she said. “And we also support all of our local businesses, new or existing, and it was just a good idea for us to get invested and show our support.”
Meacham is right about the shortage, according to an abundance of data. Iowa has long faced a shortage of child care providers, but they’re especially hard to find in rural areas like Richland. One market study commissioned by Early Childhood Iowa found Keokuk County short of ample child care availability by a whopping 750 slots.
While the center expects to open with a capacity of 51 kids, board members said the building could accommodate up to 65, with enough time and staff.
Richland Area Child Care Center Board Member Sherry Cobb said the facility was indicative of widespread growth in the community, something that’s increasingly rare for such small towns in Southeast Iowa.
“We’ve got a day care, and we’ve got a locker coming in … and a mental health person, a behavioral psychologist on the square in a brand-new building,” she said. “For a town of 545 people, there isn’t hardly a house for sale in Richland. Everything’s sold.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
