Reading Area Community College hopes to build a $33 million early childhood education center

Nov. 29—Reading Area Community College is hoping to build a $33 million state-of-the-art child care center on its campus in the city and is asking the Reading School District to help fund the project.

Dr. Susan Looney, RACC president, and Kenneth Dearstyne, senior vice president of finance and administrative services at the community college, presented the plan at a recent school board meeting.

"The current situation I think is what is most telling," Looney said. "More than half of Americans live in a child care desert."

"High quality child care centers, which in Pennsylvania are defined as Keystone three and four star, are virtually nonexistent in the city of Reading," she added.

Data from the Berks County Early Learning Resource Center showed that of the 36 high quality centers in the county, only two are in Reading.

"This means many children, especially in Reading, do not have access to high quality child care that could dramatically improve their opportunities for a better future," Looney said.

That's why Looney and RACC have proposed building the $33 million child care center on the community college's campus. She asked the school district to contribute $3 million toward the project.

Looney said the county and city governments are also being asked to help fund the project.

United Way of Berks County already committed $250,000 per year for five years to the project, Looney said.

"They feel that strongly about the importance of this project," she said.

The new center would be built on a student parking lot next Competition Tire between Chestnut and Franklin streets, Looney said.

The center would operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and serve children from 6 months to 5 years old.

What would the center do?

The center, which would be owned and operated by the community college, would do numerous things, Looney said.

It would provide early childhood education for 156 children.

The center would also be a place to train child care center owners and directors to achieve a four-star center.

"We would help other owners and directors enhance their own centers, become better centers, and we would have a pipeline of well-trained workers," Looney said.

RACC's child care center would build upon the community college's early childhood education program.

"Our students would actually use the early learning academy as their clinical site," Looney said.

It would also serve as a high-quality child care facility for the children of the students, faculty and community members.

It would also serve as a model training center for directors and owners of other centers and it would potentially attract other public and private investment, Looney said.

There are 7,700 children under the age of 6 living in Reading and 3,952 of those children are living in poverty, Looney said, citing census data.

"Research tells us only 18% of low-income children are enrolled in high quality pre-K," Looney said. "And overwhelming evidence shows that children who enter kindergarten behind are likely to remain behind throughout their educational career and beyond."

Dearstyne said it was too early to tell how many spots in the child care center would be reserved for community members.

However, he predicted it could be one-third for RACC employees and students, a third for city residents and a third for residents beyond.

That formula left some school board members concerned.

Board Vice President Leo Martinez wondered how it would benefit the school district if there would be slots for residents outside Reading and slots for RACC students and employees.

"If you're talking about a third, that isn't a lot of spots," he said.

Board member Patricia Wright said she would like to see some of the spots in the center set aside for school district students.

"I was able to have my first child in Reading's day care many years ago, and I know that was a big blessing to have it here," she said.

Board President Robin Costenbader-Jacobson was disappointed evening hours would not be offered at the center.

"I don't know if that is something to consider as you move forward," she said. "I can remember four years ago trying to find locations that students could take their children to in the area. There just isn't a lot out there.

"They (parents) are missing class. They want to become educated, go to another level and they don't have anything else."

While the board seemed a little hesitant to fully throw support behind the project, it was the start of conversations.

"I think this a great beginning of a strong dialogue in moving forward," Costenbader-Jacobson said. "I'm sure as people sleep on it there will be more thoughts and questions and suggestions."