Monday, Dec 23, 2019
The Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. is in the home stretch of a fundraising campaign for a new child care center that will transform the lives of children in the community.
The $9.4 million project received a huge boost last week from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which is providing a $1 million grant to support the financing. With private donations, the state grant, tax credits, bank financing and equity, GLCAC is now just $440,000 away from a new child care center.
GLCAC needs the community’s help to reach its goal of replacing an overcrowded, 51-year-old, converted supermarket that was never intended to be an educational facility.
“With our donors help, we will bring our vision of a new facility to reality and provide children of Greater Lawrence with the quality and affordable education that they deserve,’’ said Evelyn Friedman, GLCAC’s executive director.
The new facility will allow GLCAC to reduce waiting lists , increase the ability to meet each student’s social, emotional, physical and educational needs, and help retain quality faculty.
Key components of the facility include:
· A 30 percent increase in enrollment to 303 students
· Better equipped classrooms
· Expanded space for physical, occupational and speech therapy
· Expanded kitchen for preparing health meals and snacks
· Meeting space for parent/teacher conferences
· Larger indoor place areas
· Energy-efficient design
· Playgrounds with modern equipment and outdoor learning space
To learn more about GLCAC’s Building Potential campaign and to donate, visit the GoFundMe page at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/building-potential-in-lawrence.
GLCAC is a multi-faceted social services agency that assisted 32,648 individuals in 2018 through a range of programs including early childhood education, fuel assistance, WIC nutrition assistance, immigration services, lead poisoning prevention, child abuse prevention, English-language lessons, and consumer protection.