Richland breaks ground on child care facility

RICHLAND — Richland took the first step toward addressing the huge demand for day care services in the area by breaking ground Wednesday on a new child care facility.

Members of the Richland Area Child Care Organization brought shovels to the ceremony to symbolize the start of construction, the dirt work for which has already begun on the site of the former Richland school, just over a block west of Central Park.

The new facility is expected to accommodate 51 children when it opens next summer, but will be large enough to accommodate as many as 65.

Tammy Wetjen-Kesterson of Early Childhood Iowa serving Iowa, Jefferson and Keokuk counties remarked that the new child care facility is desperately needed, especially in this part of the state. She helped Jefferson County officials gather and analyze data on its child care shortage, which led to the construction of the Cambridge Little Achievers Center in Fairfield, which opened in January.

Surveys of parents and other residents in Jefferson County indicated that the county was short more than 500 child care spots a few years ago, and Wetjen-Kesterson noted that the shortage is even more severe in Keokuk County, which Richland resides in. Keokuk County’s only licensed child care provider is Sieda Head Start in Sigourney, which has space for 15 children. She said that, though the county might have in-home child care providers, none of them are licensed.

Early Childhood Iowa commissioned a child care market study for Keokuk County, which revealed that the county is short 750 child care spots. Wetjen-Kesterson said the greatest need is for child care slots for infants and toddlers.

Richland Mayor Tom Hoekstra said he was glad to see that a new building will be going up where the old school was, and especially one that serves an important need in the community. Hoekstra said many people had proposed doing something with the old school, but it had just sat empty for more than 20 years, becoming dilapidated.

“Child care has always been on the radar, at least for me,” Hoekstra. “Through Tammy, I learned that there’s basically an epidemic, because there are no child care facilities in Keokuk County.”

The former school was torn down in early 2021, and Hoekstra said they had to let the ground settle for a couple of years before they could build on it. While the ground was settling, members of the Richland Area Child Care Organization were hard at work doing research on a potential child care facility and trying to fund sources of funding.

Alisa Tolle, a member of the Richland City Council, said it’s exciting to see so much development in Richland occurring in the last couple of years.

“It’s great to see local people come back and build businesses,” she said. “I feel the day care will be an attraction for people who want to move to the area, because we’ll have the services they need to go to work. It’s nice to have everything in your backyard.”

Kerry Hadley, chair of the Richland Area Child Care Organization, credited Hoekstra with having the vision to not only tear down the school but to replace it with a vital need.

“This is exciting, because this facility is so needed,” Hadley said.

Hadley said most members of the Richland Area Child Care Organization also belong to the Richland Community Club, which she said deserves a lot of credit, too, for getting the child care center idea off the ground and support it financially.

Hadley said one of the most heartening facts about Richland’s development is that the town has continued to grow and attract businesses even after its school closed, which she said is rare for small towns.

“We’re very fortunate that, in our case, our community still is thriving,” Hadley said.

The Richland Area Child Care Organization’s capital campaign hopes to raise $1.5 million for the child care center. Those who wish to donate can send a check to Richland Area Child Care Organization (RACCO) at P.O. Box 35 in Richland, IA 52585.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com