The Childrens Garden of Carroll County has announced that a ground-breaking ceremony will be held to spark the journey of developing a new early childhood center in the county.
The ground-breaking, supported by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation, will be held at the future site of Childrens Garden at 801 W. Columbia St. in Flora beginning at noon today, June 7.
According to Childrens Garden, the organization strives “to provide safe, affordable, quality care and education for young children to support families in Carroll County” with curriculum that is “natural and play-based, meaning children have opportunities for enriching experiences, are surrounded with real and natural materials and learn through play and activities curated by our qualified teachers.”
The organization will host three separate programs, such as the Infants and Toddlers Program, the Preschool Program and the Pre-Kindergarten Program. The Infants and toddlers Program will be open to infants and toddlers between the ages of six weeks and three years. The Preschool Program will be open to children ages three years to five years with opportunities for the children to learn from their peers and become role models for others while learning pre-school skills. The Pre-Kindergarten Program will be available for children who are five-years-old who seek a school-like and academic preparation program prior to Kindergarten.
In April, as the date drew closer for the ground-breaking ceremony scheduled for June 7, the organization released information regarding the development of the center and the funding that was received to support its opening.
As we get closer and closer to breaking ground, we are constantly making decisions for the future building. Safety features, flooring, cabinetry and more at every meeting.
Currently, we are collecting bids from contractors and finalizing the transfer of land from the Town of Flora to Childrens Garden Carroll County. We have a commitment of $500,000 from the Purdue University – Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration grant.
Keeping us motivated every day is the rendering of the building per the building plans. It looks like such a welcoming space for children and families.
The project was first introduced into the community as a team at Flora First Christian Church began to dream of building a childcare and education center in 2018 where they wanted to give First Step Preschool a home to expand the program’s opportunities to serve the community.
The First Step Preschool program became a prominent feature of the church programming, and the staff began to formulate a plan to ensure that the students and families of the program were provided a building specifically designed for them.
The building is designed with five classrooms that may be utilized for any age group, a large multipurpose room, a serving kitchen, an administration office and a teacher workroom.
“As we began to search for a location to build, the Town of Flora graciously joined our project and donated the property of the Old Brethren Home on State Road 28,” the team released. “As we move forward, this donation of land will support our grant applications as investment from our community.”
For more information about the upcoming presence of Childrens Garden in Carroll County, visit childrensgardencc.org or attend the ground-breaking ceremony on June 7 at noon.