According to Elizabeth Stanek, executive director of Linking Families and Communities, Webster County alone has a shortage of about 1,215 child care spaces. Aiming to be part of the solution to that problem, Linking Families and Communities is in the process of opening a new child care center in Fort Dodge that will create around 100 new child care spots.

The new child care project was first introduced in September 2022 after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that the project would receive a Child Care Business Incentive Grant from the state for nearly $750,000. At that time, Linking Families and Communities was working with a local organization, which was going to donate a building it owned to be the site of the new child care center.

That plan never materialized, so Stanek began looking elsewhere for possible locations. On Friday, Linking Families and Communities closed on the sale of the old Becker Florist building and greenhouse at 407 Kenyon Road., across from the Fort Museum and Frontier Village.

The 1.55 acre property with a 5,677-square-foot office building and 3,096 square-foot greenhouse was purchased by Calvary Baptist Church (now known as Kenyon Road Baptist Church) from Becker Florist Inc. in 2002.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert

According to the Webster County Assessor’s website, the property currently has an assessed value of $310,020. Kenyon Road Baptist Church agreed to sell the property to Linking Families and Communities for about a third of that value, Stanek said.

The property is a prime location for a much-needed child care center, Stanek said.

“There’s nothing out there, so that is why we wanted to be on the western side of town, because there isn’t child care,” she said. “We feel that is a good location, convenient for people coming into town, people working in that corridor and it’s just easier to access.”

Ease of access for parents isn’t the only perk of the location, Stanek said.

“It’s a great, great location. And there’s lots of potential possibilities for that site. Like with Iowa Central right there, students could work there or get some training,” she said. “Just a lot of possibilities.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The greenhouse at 407 Kenyon Road will be torn down to make room for an addition onto the 5,677-square-foot main building to become Fort Dodge's newest child care center.

Stanek also emphasized the need for more child care slots in the community.

“We have a huge need that’s not gone away,” she said. “Although we do have some new spots coming online, we lose them even faster, particularly in the child care home provider area. I believe over the last year, we lost 23 percent of our home child care providers.”

Accessible child care is also important to the economic vitality of Fort Dodge, she added.

“We have more people seeking child care and our community is on the path for economic growth and bringing in more jobs, and that means more families who need child care,” she said. “What we’re trying to accomplish with the center is to have high-quality child care with well-paid staff and expanded hours so that we can accommodate the 12-hour shift.”

Before the child care center can open, the building will have to undergo a significant renovation, Stanek said. The greenhouse will be demolished and the building itself will be expanded.

“Right now we are working on the design and we’ll be raising funds,” she said.

The total cost of the renovation is estimated to be between $2.2 million and $3 million. Some of that will come from the grant funding from the state, but the bulk will need to come from fundraising, Stanek said.

“Unfortunately, $750,000 sounds like a lot of money, but when you’re remodeling or putting on an addition, it’s not,” she said.

Linking Families and Communities is accepting donations toward the project from individuals, businesses and organizations.

Local businesses can even make large donations to “purchase” or reserve child care spots for their employees.

“We really will need the support of the community to put this all together,” Stanek said.

Stanek said she hopes the new child care center will open sometime in 2025.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said.