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Jan 08, 2024

Project: Julia and Nicholas Runnebohm Early Learning Center

Perhaps the steeple of Shelby County’s three Regional Economic Advancement and

Perhaps the steeple of Shelby County's three Regional Economic Advancement and Development Initiative projects is the Julia and Nicholas Runnebohm Early Learning Center.

At least, that was the project Shelby County showcased to members of the Accelerate Rural Indiana READI region at the State of ARI Celebration last month at Blessing's Opera House.

Early Learning Shelby County Executive Director Allison Coburn said the facility, which will be located at 2400 Intelliplex Drive, is set to provide high quality childcare and education for those children not quite old enough for kindergarten.

Early Learning Shelby County was formed in 2018 by a coalition of stakeholders who advocated for high quality early childhood education. Since then, the organization has helped several early childhood programs become Paths to Quality certified through the state.

"That's the key to building a smarter, healthier and more productive community," Coburn told those who attended the celebration. "Our goal at Early Learning Shelby County, here in Shelbyville and the county as a whole, is to promote optimal growth and development, empowering them to thrive academically and beyond."

Preliminary plans for the center show the building will be 15,462 square feet and includes rooms assigned for infants, younger toddlers, toddlers, and pre-k students. It will serve about 96 children, according to the plans.

"This center will undoubtedly make a significant impact in tackling that problem that we were known as a childcare desert," Coburn said. "And we hope to eradicate the negative connotation that come with having that label."

Coburn said one of the unique things about the center is that it will cater to the most economically vulnerable services. The center will partner with Human Services Inc. Head Start program to promote those projects within its walls.

"Head Start programs provide comprehensive services that support the growth and development of children from birth to age 5," she said. "These services encompass early learning, development, health, and family well-being. Eligible families can access these services free of charge for their child age birth to five. However, nationally, only 36 percent of these income eligible families have access to a seat. Only 11 percent of these income-eligible children ages 0-2 have access to an infant/toddler room. And Indiana is staggered below that national average."

Shelby County is one of the lowest eligible seat capacity for that demographic – they only have 8 seats for children ages 0-3 and a waiting list of over 125 students, Coburn said. The partnership with Head Start will increase that number from 8 to 100 seats.

Shelbyville Central Schools opened the Golden Bear Preschool in 2019 and it serves around 300 children. However, there is still a great need for additional early learning care because there are about 3,500 children younger than kindergarten age in the county.

Likewise, each of the four county schools have their own programs and there is high demand.

The Shelbyville Parks Department also has its own preschool program but those spots also fill up quickly.

The Early Learning Center will also be able to provide on-site mental health services through a partnership with Community Mental Health Center Inc.

"These on-site mental health consultation services will not only promote awareness, early identification, and referral of treatment of mental health concerns, but these consultants are also going to help build a culture of mental health in childcare programs by developing adult capacity to support the healthy development of their child," Coburn said.

In addition to supporting the children who attend this new facility, the Early Learning Center will also support parents by allowing them to return to work.

"We all know inconsistent or limited access to high quality childcare causes parents to miss work, leading to reduced household income and even job loss," Coburn said. "In some cases, parents are unable to join or return to the workforce because of a lack of affordable childcare in their community."

Employers in Indiana lose about $1.8 billion annually as a result of a lack of childcare, according to the Early Learning Advisory Committee in Indiana. In 2021, 12 percent of Indiana families reported career sacrifices due to the lack of childcare.

And that number is even greater for women.

"Sixty percent of women post 2021 have yet to return to the workforce citing the number one reason being access to childcare," Coburn said. "With a far larger decline in labor force participation rates for our Hoosier women with young children, [Shelby County] is leading the state in that number. That is something I hope we can get over with this facility."

The total cost of this project is $8 million, with $3 million of that coming from the READI grant, $3 million coming from the city's TIF funding, and an additional $2+ million in philanthropic donations.

"Major Health Partners, Horseshoe Racing and Casino, Knauf Insulation, Beaty Construction C-Tech Corporation and Ryobi Die Casting are among the few corporations that played a key role in supporting this initiative through their generous contributions, and families such as the Wortmans who have generously donated support to communities that supported them, actively working to promote the health and well being of all the children here in Shelby County."

A grant from the Early Learning Indiana Lilly Foundation allowed Early Learning Shelby County to collaborate with Halstead Architects, who drafted the preliminary plans.

The Julia and Nicholas Runnebohm Early Learning Center will be completed as a Build-Operate-Transfer project with Runnebohm Construction. Construction is expected to begin this month and the facility will be open by August 2024.

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