A major donation has come to Little Lyons Childcare, the 24-7 daycare project spearheaded by the Emporia Area Chamber Foundation.
The anonymous $250,000 donation was announced Tuesday. Funds will help with completing the facility and, if money remains, to the Little Lyons Endowment Fund to help the daycare be sustainable for years to come.
This announcement follows two major state grants revealed last fall, including a nearly $1.8 million Capital Projects Fund Accelerator grant for property purchase and renovations and a $552,000 Child Care Capacity Accelerator grant for salaries, operations and supplies. Ignite Emporia Director Michelle Margeson called the gift “gratifying and encouraging.”
Emporia Chamber President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says the anonymous gift “is another great step in moving forward and creating a childcare facility that will meet the needs of families in the Emporia area.”
Both McKenna and Margeson also credited the Emporia Community Foundation and CEO Becky Nurnberg for being “wonderful partners in our efforts to make childcare accessible and affordable to all children in Lyon County.” For her part, Nurnberg has taken a role on the Coalition for Emporia Childcare and has given advice on different grant opportunities. She says this is an important step for local families and businesses alike.
Nurnberg also says the donating family wants to help the community but doesn’t want any recognition.
The Chamber says the Coalition for Emporia Childcare is working with an unspecified architect on renderings. An open house will be announced in the next few months. Meanwhile, the process continues for finalizing the board and securing an administrator. Policy work and additional hiring decisions will follow those two steps.
