An exhausted but excited Nina Burton took a deep exhale Wednesday as she cut a ribbon marking the grand opening of the Woodland Child Development Center in Gary.
The joyful event, filled with young children and state and local officials, marked the end of a frenzied few weeks for Burton and her staff as they scrambled to beat a 60-day deadline to gain approval as one of just six new state pilot childcare facilities.
The pilot program stemmed from a legislative public health committee recommendation aimed at expanding child care in hard-to-serve areas for children ages 3-5.
The state plans to evaluate the microcenter models that serve a maximum of 30 children for more than four hours a day.
“Their goal was to get quality providers into areas that may not have quality programming,” said Burton, whose newly opened center is at 4630 W. 10th Ave. on a dead-end street in a residential area just west of Clark Road.
“We took the leap and we were one of the only six.”
For several years, Burton, who’s a Gary native, has operated the Woodland Child Development Center in Hammond.
“We are beyond honored to receive this designation and excited to get to work in my hometown of Gary,” said Burton. “Woodland is laying the groundwork to establish Gary as a hub for early learning innovation.”
State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, who chairs the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee, said childcare is crucial to the state.
“It touches every aspect of our economy,” he said.
Charbonneau said a lack of vibrant childcare programs hinders the recruitment of new businesses.
Adam Alson, Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning director for the state’s Family and Social Services Administration, called it “a day to celebrate.”
Alson, a farmer, co-founded Appletree Rensselaer after his family discovered a lack of affordable quality childcare programs in their rural setting.
“This is how we keep families in communities,” he said. “This is something we can replicate across the state.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
