Klamath Community College plans to open a new child care learning center in 2027.
As the largest child care center in Southern Oregon, it will also provide learning opportunities for students to earn their early childhood education certification.
Speaking on JPR’s Jefferson Exchange on Wednesday, Gerry O’Brien, the college's communications director, said the center will help promote economic growth.
"The reason we have difficulty with economic development is that we don't have a trained workforce, we don't have child care, and we don't have housing," he said. "This hopes to address two things, which is the workforce training and child care."
He said a high poverty rate makes it especially hard for Klamath County families to get ahead.
"KCC serves a high number of parenting students who face barriers to education due to a lack of access to childcare," the college said on its website.
A site is currently being cleared to construct the 29,000-square-foot building. It will include 12 classrooms for kids and two classrooms for early childhood education students.
O’Brien said the goal is to inspire further development.
"What we hope to have is that students that attain their early childhood certificates, that they're able to then either work in the center or go out into the community and start their own child care centers in the community to kind of fill out what is needed," he said.
The $18.2 million center has primarily been funded through grants, and the college will launch a fundraising campaign soon. The college has raised about two-thirds of the total money needed.
O'Brien said the center's child care rate hasn't been determined yet, but it will be affordable.
"It's kind of two solutions under one roof," he said. "Preschoolers are getting a good, solid education before entering kindergarten, and then you're also training future educators to actually help with the issue of child care across the region."
Information for families wanting to sign up will be released soon, O'Brien said.
