Board members of the community-based facility, located at 1717 O St., say they are pleased with the initial support and expect the numbers to grow now that the center is open.

"It has been fun to get to see our plans come through," said Lisa Kluck, the facility’s director. "We’re hoping to have 40 children soon and are prepared to add staff as more come on board. I think this is a really good thing for the community and I’m very excited to be a part of it."

Kluck, a former in-home daycare provider with degrees in social work and human services, was hired in June and has since hired a staff of six. She said she was more than pleased with both the number and quality of applicants to fill those jobs.

"We’ve had a hard time narrowing down who we wanted to pick," she noted. "Obviously, the more kids we get the more staff we’ll need, but to start with I think we have a great staff on board."

That staff includes Barbara Lemberg, Denise Mason, Sara Svoboda, Lisa Poffenbarger, Hillary Veerhusen, Margie Kliewer, with Karen Gaughen as the full-time cook.

Parents of the initial enrollees toured the facility last week and a public open house is scheduled for Nov. 22 from 2-4 p.m.

The new center is a tribute to community vision and hard work, according to Dennis Ferguson, president of the board.

"We have a wonderful board, no question," he said. "This was literally like starting a new company from the ground level and the amount of energy and time that’s been put into this process has been incredible. Everybody has done their share, and then some."

The end result is a 5,180-sq. ft. facility built with safety, security and children’s well-being in mind. The center has a capacity to care for 82 full-time or 120 part-time children, ranging in age from six weeks to 12 years.

Beyond the standard child care services, the facility will offer breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks each day as well as preschool instruction.

"We have ordered Fun Shine Express, which I think is an outstanding preschool curriculum," Kluck said. "Any child enrolled at the child care center will be eligible to attend preschool," which will be offered at no additional cost from 9 to 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Parents with school-age children will have help getting their child to the center, as the 4R bus service will make stops there each day, as needed.

Drop-in child care will also be available. As a mother of three and former in-home daycare provider, Kluck said she knows how important it can be to have a backup child care plan.

"If you currently have a daycare provider and they are sick or on vacation, or if you have an emergency, we’ll take the drop-ins if we have a spot available," she said.

Safe and secure

The new facility features an electronic log-in system, which helps track when children arrive and are picked up each day. Parents are given a code to enter, and will also be required to log the names of anyone who might be asked to pick up a child.

"We put a lot of emphasis on safety and security," Kluck noted. "We’ll also take pictures of parents and their kids to help identify in case we have a new staff member. It’s a very good system."

Twelve security cameras have been installed both inside and out to allow staff to monitor activity at all times. The facility also includes two separate fenced-in playgrounds for various age children and lowered windows which allow a clear view for the building’s special clientele. A concrete play area was added to the design late in the construction process, providing space to ride bicycles.

Throughout the facility, Ferguson pointed to projects and features which reflect the community’s support.

"We worked with the Aurora school shop class to build storage units for us and the Aurora Fire Department helped put together playground equipment," he said. "This has truly been a community effort and there are so many people we want to thank."

The list of contributors also includes several local businesses, some of which provided goods and services, and many others who made financial contributions of some kind. More than $600,000 has been pledged toward the project, though fundraising continues to help cover the $860,000 projected cost.

"I’ve been encouraged to see how it’s finally come to fruition through all the hard work of the fundraising committee, board, Lisa and all the generous donations of businesses, foundations and individuals," said Christian Evans, a board member and executive director of the Aurora Area Chamber & Development. "We’ve still got some funds to raise, but we’re open for business providing child care that is needed and that was the goal."

General contractor for the project was McKinney Enterprises, a Lincoln-based company with ties to Hamilton County through owner Jack McKinney.

For more information about daycare services, contact Kluck at 694-3210, or to make a donation contact Ferguson at 694-6151.