The new ACHIEVE building on East Main Street is under a large renovation and according to CEO Amy Howard, it may be a good fit for a much needed Daycare facility in downtown Norwich. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NORWICH — A federal spending grant request in the amount of $2.1 million to assist in the construction of a Norwich daycare was submitted to congressional leaders and denied.

Norwich officials and businesses are searching different avenues from state, national, and local foundations for support in this initiative for the betterment of the community. Many want to help find accommodation for employees.

Norwich Mayor Brian Doliver said, “Obviously having a daycare facility is very important to not just the economy but for our families and their children, providing a safe place for children to be taken care of while two family incomes are a necessity.”

“I have heard that ACHIEVE may put a daycare in their new building and I’m quite hopeful for that,” said Doliver.”

He said his mother was a daycare provider in their home while he was growing up and he knows how important it is and at times how difficult the job may be, but he said, it’s very rewarding.

“It’s imperative we advocate for more people to go into this line of work,” Doliver said.

City of Norwich Community Development Director Erik Scrivener said, “Sal Testani, one of his staff members, and I met with The Place Executive Director Sharon Vesely a few weeks ago on another opportunity for funding through the New York State (NYS) Dormitory Authority.

Scrivener said the specific program is the Nonprofit Infrastructure Investment Program and can provide up to a maximum award of $500,000 for construction related activities.

He said The Place will likely be the applicant and he will meet with Commerce Chenango to assist in providing required data, reviews, and other application components.

He added, “Childcare is a necessity for this community, especially as we are working to revitalize the downtown and attract businesses and residents to the city.”

The Place Executive Director Sharon Vesely said, “The grant that was denied was a congregational spending grant and submitted to Senator Schumer’s office.

“We didn't receive any feedback on that but it was mid September and the government was edging toward a possible shut down, so I'm not sure if that played a factor,” said Vesely.

She said even though the funding was denied, they're still looking to exhaust all potential avenues to make this initiative work for the community.

Vesely said there are many Norwich professionals along with herself, moving this forward and searching out available state and national funding sources and local foundations who have always been very generous to the community.

“We're trying to get this up and going. The grant denied was a huge amount of money and the project will at least cost $1.5 million in renovations, yet that does not include equipping classrooms, on boarding staff, and training,” said Vesely.

She said everyone needs to have a play in this as it’s a huge undertaking, not just for our organization but for our entire community because the need is so big. Employers, businesses, everyone needs to play a part in this. She said when she talks about community, she’s talking about the county in a whole.

“We've been talking with ACHIEVE on East Main Street because they've been renovating their new space and there is quite a large space in that building that would accommodate a size program were looking for,” said Vesely. “We've been working with an architect to design that space and make it a welcoming community space.”

Conversations with CEO Amy Howard from ACHIEVE are continuing to happen with private donors and she said they have been talking about this initiative for at least eighteen months to try and get this going.

“We strongly believe the need is there and we are determined enough to make this happen,” said Vesely.

She said not having quality early childhood programming in communities has an impact – early childhood education leads to more positive early learning and building those blocks in the first three years of learning is key to success in school.

“I'm optimistic that the community can make this happen and I'm determined to make this happen as well,” Vesely said.

Recently, Howard said they had been looking for a location to expand services as there is a shortage of infant and toddler care in Chenango County and has been for quite some time.

Howard said, “When they approached us looking for space, I knew we were going to be completing a very large renovation project on East Main Street, and thought to myself that it might be a very good fit.”

According to CountyOffice.org there are 19 Daycares in Chenango County serving a population of 48,763 in an area of 893 square miles. There is one Daycare per 2,566 people, and one Daycare per 47 square miles.

Chenango County is ranked 47 out of 62 counties in Daycares capita, and 51 out of 62 counties in Daycares per square mile.

Chenango County Daycare is a service that supervises and cares for children too young to be left alone during periods when parents or guardians are unavailable, due to work or other commitments in Chenango County, NY.