The Childhood Development Council of Franklin County, Inc. to operate Columbus State Community College on-campus child care center.
Center operator will provide fee-based enrollment and income-eligible assistance to Columbus State and neighborhood families with infant through five-year-old children.
Media Contacts: MiKayla Bivens (mbivens@cdcheadstart.org), 380-232-1053
Brent Wilder (bwilder5@cscc.edu), 614-338-9242
Columbus State Community College and The Childhood Development Council of Franklin
County, Inc. (CDCFC) will partner to offer child care on the college’s downtown campus
starting fall 2023.
Columbus State selected CDCFC to operate its on-campus child care center because of
CDCFC’s established expertise in managing a network of early childhood learning centers
incorporating multiple funding sources. CDCFC will utilize this comprehensive model as best practice and use different programs to assist with funding/payments for families.
“This is an ideal partnership to bring affordable child care and varying options for income eligible families to our campus and surrounding community, in a relative child care desert and in a time of crisis for available child care for working parents,” said Rebecca Butler, Columbus State executive vice president. “CDCFC has a proven track record of operations throughout Franklin County at its multiple locations and in partnership with other community child care providers. It enables us to rely on their operations expertise while integrating our deep academic knowledge in quality and the latest early childhood development education practices.”
Fall enrollment will soon commence with prioritization led by Columbus State student-parents, followed by employees, and any remaining availability open to the community, particularly within surrounding neighborhoods and downtown commuters. CDCFC will offer sliding-scale tuition fees based on family income for enrollment.
“Our community needs more child care solutions like this unique model,” said Brenda Rivers, CDCFC CEO. “Columbus State providing this space for us to enroll more children in our supportive programming is both innovative and replicable. This example sets a standard other public-serving institutions can follow to increase child care options throughout Columbus and central Ohio.”
The center will have the maximum capacity to serve 94 children, initially offering full- and parttime enrollment from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. The space will have six classrooms, three designated for infant-to-toddler engagement and three for pre-K instruction, and integrate oneway viewing rooms for clinical and academic observation. The center will also have two large multipurpose rooms and an outdoor play area.
Construction on the center began in February and is on pace for a fall opening, determined by occupancy and licensing permits. The college is renovating existing space for the center using $3.5 million from Franklin County voter bond-approved capital improvement funds.
The Child Development Council of Franklin County, Inc. has provided the community with 38 years of high-quality, comprehensive services. These include special programs, parent services, and services for children and pregnant women.
Columbus State students who are parents and need additional supportive financial assistance to enroll their children can learn more about emergency non-academic needs funding options and availability through the college’s Student Advocacy Center.
Applications for employment to work at CDCFC’s Columbus State location are now being
accepted. Interested parents may also begin the application process for consideration now. Learn more at www.cdcheadstart.org.
If you are interested in working for CDCFC then click the button below.
