KALAMAZOO, MI — A new development aims to help families by combining apartments with 24/7 child care in one location.
The Creamery, which opened in February, sits along Portage Street and has porches that allow tenants to enjoy their units from inside and out.
The YWCA Children’s Center expansion, once it opens, will feature on-site affordable child care for children 0-3 years old, and the area’s first 24-hour drop-in child care center for children 0-12 years old. Both programs will be open to all families in the community and will have supports in place to serve the most vulnerable, according to the organization.
Related: Construction finished on apartments, daycare center in Kalamazoo’s Edison Neighborhood
YWCA Vice President of Development Lisa Rodriguez talked about the importance of child care, which provides more than typical daycare services.
“Child care is more inclusive,” Rodriguez said. “It provides more than someone just watching the child for the day. In our case, it is comprehensive early learning in that first 0- to 3-year-old age group.”
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, toured the facility last week. Rodriguez said Upton heard from staff how YWCA is committed to ensuring equity through the provision of high-quality child care for families in the community and fair wages for staff.
There are currently 15 staff members who were hired through the Edison Early Childhood Education Career Pathway, Rodriguez said.
“We screened intensely, interviewed, and brought in 15 individuals who are on track to receive their CDA, Childhood Development Associate certificate, at the end of their training,” she said.
Related: YWCA in Kalamazoo creates ‘career pathway’ to staff 24-hour childcare center
The certificate is a nationally recognized credential for child care providers, Rodriguez said.
This “sustainable career pathway” creates opportunities that increase the availability of qualified Early Learning Professionals in Kalamazoo, she said. The work will expand access to child care and early learning options for residents that lead to strong and resilient families through multi-generational learning approaches, she said.
There is demand for child care services in Kalamazoo, Rodriguez said.
“We’re very excited to have the center in the Edison neighborhood because child care is desperately needed there. Before determining the location, YWCA did a feasibility study, and looked at a case for need for child care in the community and there are a couple of areas in Kalamazoo where it’s critical,” She said.
Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood was one of the places identified, she said. Having a location close to home is important to families when choosing child care providers.
“We want to be able to provide a family what they need,” Rodriguez said.
Unfortunately, she said she expects they will not be able to serve every family that applies. The downtown YWCA is currently at capacity, and the wait list for child care is often between 100-200 families, she said.
The YWCA facility at the Creamery has wood features inside with large windows and sound-absorbing clouds hanging overhead. It will feature a nature-based play space, among other amenities.
Rodriguez said the services offered there are meant to help families.
“Having stable child care is really an economic enhancement for families,” Rodriguez said. “Knowing you can go to work, and knowing your child is safe in a reliable trauma informed environment where the staff members have been properly trained — It gives mom and dad or uncle, whoever the guardian might be for the child, a huge amount of security knowing that their (children) are safe, therefore they can go to work and continue to provide for their family.”
Related: Affordable housing, 24-hour childcare coming to former Kalamazoo creamery building in 2021
The child care center is attached to The Creamery building, which also houses 48 mixed-income apartments.
Affordability has been a key concern throughout development of the apartments, with most of them designed to be affordable to low- and moderate-income households, according to a news release from Hollander Development.
Fifteen one-bedroom apartments are available to rent, for $319/month, to households earning up to $16,500 annually. Other apartments range in price from $811/month to $1,460/month, based on bedroom type and household income.
The building has in-unit washers and dryers, Energy Star appliances, central air, fiber internet access, a rooftop terrace, fitness room, community room, indoor bicycle storage and on-site management, the company said.
The Creamery is now available for leasing. For inquiries, call 269-225-6535, visit www.kalamazoocreamery.com or find them on Facebook.
Contact YWCA for more information about services offered in Kalamazoo.
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