By Taylor Boyd
A proposed daycare in Stuart aimed at easing a long-standing child care shortage is gaining early support from the Patrick County Economic Development Authority (EDA) Board.
Leaders with Stuart Church of Living Water presented plans March 25 for a facility that would serve children from infancy to age 5 while also creating jobs and helping parents return to the workforce.
“It’s a desperate need in our community. This would make it easier for people who are seeking employment to be able to go out and get a job,” said Pastor Tommy Shepherd.
The church is proposing to build the daycare on 5.5 acres off Ashby Drive, with hours expected to run from about 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“That’s a long day, so we’ll probably have two shifts working. We anticipate having seven different classroom settings, which can accommodate about 60 plus kids. We’ll have a nursery that I believe will accommodate about five, we have four classrooms that can accommodate about 10 persons, then two classrooms that can do 15 persons,” Shepherd said.
Organizers said the center would hire locally, with staffing starting at around 10 employees and growing to as many as 15 to 17 when fully operational.
“We would definitely need a director, an administrator, because I ain’t doing it,” Shepherd said. “We would need one leader for each classroom, and then one to two assistants for each classroom. We would need one to two cooking staff because it’s an all-day thing, we’d have to feed them lunch.”
Plans call for a 100-by-150-foot metal building that is fully accessible, according to church building committee member Carol Beasley.
“The layout there, the nursery is in the center by the bathrooms. Then the next four classes down would accommodate the other children. At the very back of the property is a play area and we want to have trails that the kids can go on that will also be learning too,” she said.
The total project cost is estimated at $4.3 million, according to church member Mark Vernon, including roughly $3.7 million in construction and about $244,400 in professional services.
“Of course, we’ve already expended quite a bit, probably over $100,000 on the design and the plans work, so we are already invested heavily in this,” Vernon said.
Additional costs — including furnishings, security systems and technology — are estimated at about $197,000, with a five percent contingency of roughly $205,562 built into the budget.
“So that’s a heavy investment in our community, and we have a vision, we’re hoping to get there,” Vernon said.
Church member Bill Clark said the church has already committed more than $1.15 million to the project.
“We’ve already got the land, got easements, rights-of-way to put utilities and everything in there. We’ve already paid for full engineer drawings, we are ready to go, and we have $1,155,000 right now ready to go,” he said.
The church plans to pursue grants to close the remaining funding gap, including potential support from state and federal sources.
“What I’m hoping that you all can do is help us out at the state level. We are hearing rumors, like it or not, that at the state level there is talk about putting more money out there for childcare, daycare centers, and early learning centers. We’re thinking there’s going to be some money available for that,” Clark said.
Clark added the church intends to operate the facility as a religious-based daycare.
“If it’s a church or religious-based daycare, in the Code of Virginia, you don’t have to jump through the gazillion hoops as a private, for-profit daycare would be. In other words, 90 percent of the licensing goes away. Obviously, there’s safety and that kind of thing, but we don’t have to go through and get the state license and all of that. We definitely want to stay as a religious-based” facility, he said.
EDA members signaled strong support for the proposal, noting that child care has been a long-discussed need in the county.
“It’s just about if not at the very top of our plan for the year. We thank you all for helping us with that,” said EDA Chairman Ron Haley. “I can’t make any promises, but I feel comfortable that you’ll be able to achieve what you want to achieve.”
“I mean you’re a quarter of the way, so hats off to you all for putting this plan and getting this plan into play,” added EDA member Doss Cummings.
EDA member Rick Worley said the project is one the county has needed for years.
“We’ve discussed this for what seems like forever. I think you’re going to make it happen, it’s just a matter of how many people you can get on board to speed things along to make it reality sooner rather than later,” he said.
