Great Bend Economic Development Inc.’s Advancing Barton County Childcare scored again. They received word Thursday that the new daycare facility, at at 10th Street and K-96 in Great Bend, will receive a second award from the state of Kansas totaling $422,699.
“We are of course very excited,” said GBED President Sara Arnberger. “Our construction costs have obviously gone up so anything helps.”
Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund announced Thursday the second round of funding awards to 27 statewide organizations to create new, sustainable licensed child care slots and support the expanded operation of high-quality affordable child care programs. These additional grant awards are part of the Child Care Capacity Accelerator Grant Program, designed to advance the rapid development of additional child care slots statewide.
“This will basically be for the operations of our program,” Arnberger said. “This way we can offer the highest quality childcare we can.”
In other words, this money will help with teacher training, purchasing tablets and smart boards for students, getting appliances and acquiring anything else needed for classroom setup, she said. “It is very helpful.”
In June, ABCC was one of 52 organizations statewide to share in over $43 million as part of the Child Care Capacity Accelerator first-round grant program. That totaled $2.23 million.
The first award was enough at the time to finish ABCC’s funding for its Great Bend facility, with funds left over to fund a second facility planned for Hoisington.
Ground was broken on July 20 for the daycare center at Farmer’s Plaza, dubbed Farmers Plaza Childcare Center. Kelly was present for the ceremony.
The approximately $1.9 million 6,500 square-foot facility, envisioned as the first of several to be built in Barton County, will accommodate up to 59 children. It had been in the works since 2021.
“Construction remains on schedule,” Arnberger said. The plan is to have it completed by this coming spring.
As of the end of the week, the concrete pad was in place and the walls were being framed. Arnberger said the roof trusses and the exterior sheeting are planned for next week.
Icon Structures of Wichita has been selected as the project’s construction manager at risk. The project architect is GMLV Architects, also of Wichita.
For more information, visit www.gbedinc.com, or call 620-796-2407. Arnberger can be reached via email at director@gbedinc.com.
