By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

Imagine if Glenwood and Pope County were to lose a fully functional childcare center that serves more than 50 area families and provides care for nearly 80 children ranging from six weeks old to school age.

That loss would have grave economic development and social repercussions and would likely force families to leave the area, relocating to areas that provide jobs and daycare.

Still, it could happen if Kingdom Kids Child Care Center in Glenwood cannot continue to operate its facility in Glenwood.  The non-profit organization is having no problem financially delivering its services, but it finds itself in need of a new facility, according to Kylie Baldwin, executive director of Kingdom Kids Child Care.  

Currently, Kingdom Kids operates out of a building that has been leased (for $1/month) from the Klick Foundation for the past 10 years.  That building, located east of Highway 55 in Glenwood, was sold a few months ago to Calvary Lutheran Church.  The church will take over the building in June of 2023, according to Baldwin. (See accompanying story).

It isn’t that Baldwin, her staff, and board members haven’t been working to relocate to a new facility, but those efforts have not worked out for myriad reasons.  First, Kingdom Kids was working on purchasing the Dove building, but negotiations stalled, even after a plan for remodeling the building had been completed.  Then, administrators and the board began looking at land that would be provided by the county near the current John Deere building, but infrastructure costs were a major obstacle, including the time it would take to get a city road to the new facility.

But working with Ayars and Ayars Architects and First Children’s Finances, Kingdom Kids Child Care purchased 4.4 acres of land directly west of the Glenwood A&W restaurant in November.  The utilities are already available on that property.  The plan now is to build a “brand-new center that is able to fit our current and future needs,” Baldwin explained.   “It’s a community issue, not just a Kingdom Kids issue,” Baldwin added.

She said Kingdom Kids can finance and cash flow the new $3 million facility but needs the 30% down payment of $900,000.  Kingdom Kids is a non-profit organization so the public should realize that “we just don’t have the funds lying around” to make a down payment, said Laura Peters, assistant director at the center. “How are you supposed be non-profit and have a substantial amount of money on hand to build a facility?” she asked.

Financial support needed

That’s where the community comes in, Baldwin said.  “We’re talking to businesses, emailing requests and sending letters asking for financial donations to make this possible,” she added.

Kingdom Kids has also sought grants from the state and other entities and the board and administration are working on applying for a USDA loan.  Any size donations are welcome, but we need the community’s financial support to make this facility a reality.  

Kingdom Kids Child Care has set up a savings account at Eagle Bank in Glenwood.  The public can make donations sending them to Eagle Bank under “Kingdom Kids.”  

In a new facility, Kingdom Kids can expand capacity and increase enrollment, Baldwin stated. “And we want the cost to be affordable for our families here.”

Kingdom Kids provides a quarter of all the childcare in Pope County and without the facility, there’s just no where for them to go, said Peters.  “In most cases parents are facing a five to six children on a wait list before their child can be considered for day care.”  

“If Kingdom Kids closes, families will be forced to move out of the community and go toward the metro area, Alexandria or larger regional communities, said Samantha Ewald, a parent advocate for the day care center.  “And that’s a scary thought.”