Carroll County's newest child care facility set to open

Childrens Garden Carroll County is set to mark the opening of its new preschool and child care facility, which will offer 68 additional seats.

The public is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the facility, 801 W. Columbia St.

The new child care center offers 68 slots, providing much-needed relief to families seeking quality child care options in Carroll County, according to a press release from Carroll County Economic Development Inc.

The goal of the new facility is to obtain a level-4 Paths to QUALITY designation, Indiana’s statewide quality rating and improvement system for early care and education. It will be one of the first facilities in Carroll County to obtain this designation.

“The realization of this project was made possible through a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders,” the press release stated. “Childrens Garden extends its gratitude to the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation, Purdue University, and the generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc. Their partnership and contributions have been instrumental in bringing this initiative to fruition.”

The Childrens Garden early learning center has created an Amazon wishlist for the convenience of regional residents who would like to contribute to purchasing learning materials for infants, toddlers and preschoolers who will attend at: https://bit.ly/CGAMAZON.

Childrens Garden will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The facility has five classrooms that will be utilized to serve children ages 6 weeks old to 6 years old. It will take at least 20 employees to staff the new center, and it is currently hiring.

“We are honored to be able to serve the families of our community and expand access to quality early childhood education,” said executive director Samantha Miller. “This facility aims to provide more options for child care locally, as well as opportunities for professional positions within our community. We want to support the growth in Flora and Carroll County.”