$1 million: Can we make it happen?

There could be two infant rooms here, and the toddler rooms would be over there. Look over there — that’s where the preschoolers would play, and this is the multipurpose area for after-school kids. Here’s where the kitchen would go, next to the bathrooms. Oh, and that chunk of land over there is an outdoor play area.

A deer scampered off into a corn field and the sky gave way to a gorgeous sunset as interested community members took a tour of a proposed child care facility on the southeast edge of Holyoke on Monday evening, July 25.

There’s not much there now — just a sign that says “Future Home of the Holyoke Community Childcare” — but the grasses were neatly mowed into pathways that showed the possibility of what could be there as early as next year — a $3.35 million, 11,500-square-foot child care facility.

The Holyoke Community Childcare Initiative board and program director Trisha Herman held a campaign kickoff event with a light meal at First Baptist Church, which is just northeast of the piece of land that could be the site of a new child care facility.

“If we had the money, we could start tomorrow,” said Herman.

HCCI has raised $1.6 million for the project and plans to reapply for a $750,000 Department of Local Affairs Energy Impact Grant in September.

“We’re still missing a big piece. We have to go back to our community,” said Herman.

She said HCCI would like

to have $1 million in pledges by September, which will give the project a better shot at getting the DOLA grant.

“We need you to say, ‘This is a project worth pursuing,’” added Herman. “We still need to finish this marathon, and we need $1 million to get this done.”

Herman can attest to what it felt like when she moved to Holyoke over 10 years ago with a small child and another on the way with no family, no friends and long waiting lists for the few in-home child care providers in town.

“This is such a necessity for our community,” she said.

In 2012, a group of concerned young moms got together to host meetings and community events, but they didn’t gain any momentum.

Then in 2017, some concerned business owners stepped up and began working with Phillips County Economic Development and Phillips County Family Education Services to see how they could solve the problem of a lack of available child care in Holyoke.

It really became a workforce issue, said Herman, noting that local businesses were having trouble attracting new employees. “We want our new families to move in and to stay,” she said.

Meetings resulted in the creation of the Holyoke Community Childcare Initiative, its board, a program coordinator and the official designation as a 501(c)(3).

In a 2018 survey, 96% of the 112 community survey responders indicated that they supported the development of a child care facility within Holyoke and would financially invest in one.

HCCI began working with contractor Mike Smith Construction Inc. on the design of the proposed facility, and a feasibility study was completed.

A capital campaign that began in October 2019 raised $400,000 before it was cut short due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In 2021, HCCI continued searching for grants and local support, and Shawn O’Neal gave the project a boost with a $500,000 donation.

The goal is to complete funding so that HCCI can break ground by 2023.

Herman said that she has been busy touring all of the other child care facilities in northeastern Colorado so that she could gain input to tweak the design and make it the best that it could be while still following the many rules and regulations for child care in the state.

The 11,500-square-foot building will have the capacity to serve 110 children from birth to school age as well as offer 16 full-time jobs. It will include two infant rooms, two toddler rooms, two preschool rooms, a multipurpose area and after-school opportunities.

Melissa Memorial Hospital had donated a piece of land north of the hospital for the project, but as the HCCI board got further into the process, they found that the infrastructure costs for the MMH land were going to be quite high, including things like curb and gutter, a retention pond, a sewer, etc.

HCCI began looking at other options and is currently working on a contract with First Baptist Church for a piece of land southwest of the church on South Worley Avenue. Some of the infrastructure elements are already in place with that property.

“It really came down to time and money,” said Herman.

During the tour July 25, Herman pointed out that the facility will include a donor wall. Platinum designation is for any donation above $15,000, gold is $5,001-$14,999, silver is $1,001-$5,000, bronze is $501-$1,000, and the friends tier is for anything up to $500.

HCCI will also accept memorials donated in honor of a loved one.

Thanks to a Colorado child care contribution credit, any taxpayer who makes a monetary contribution may claim an income tax credit of 50%, although Herman advised consulting an accountant.

Those who would like to donate or make a pledge can visit https://bit.ly/HCCIDonate or contact Herman at 970-218-4037 or holyokechildcare@gmail.com.

The HCCI board includes president Tom Bennett, vice president Evan Fust, secretary Olga Sullivan, treasurer Tiffany Watson and board member Krista Doble.

The fundraising committee includes Brenda Krueger, Steve Young, Dennis Herman and Sarah Bornhoft.