Wichita’s Storytime Village is one of seven organizations statewide to receive a share of nearly $28 million in Capital Projects Fund Accelerator awards that will create 458 new child care slots, Gov. Laura Kelly has announced.
Storytime Village’s award is $5 million and will fund a new literacy-based community center for all ages, focused on removing barriers for families to receive quality care and resources.
It will create 50 new child care slots.
Storytime Village Founder and CEO Dr. Prisca Barnes said the money for the organization will be transformational.
Barnes plans to partner with other agencies to offer wrap-around services that will help the entire community thrive, including helping people to find jobs and tap into resources that will support them at work.
She plans a child care center for 50 children that she wants to make into a “hub that serves the home-based child care providers that make up the bulk of caregivers in the community.”
“I want it to be a place where those providers can access resources and help more children enter kindergarten ready to learn to read,” she said. “There will also be health resources through a partnership with HealthCore Clinic and an event center where the community can come together to share special events.”
She hopes to include a cafe space and is looking for a vendor for that.
Barnes said her inspiration is rooted in Africa.
“There is a tribe where the standard greeting is ‘How are the children?’ and the hoped-for response is ‘The children are well.’ That comes from the idea that when the children are well, the community is well. I want our community in Wichita to be able to say ‘The children are well’.”
Barnes said she will be working with Hutton Construction on building plans and will be announcing more specifics about the plan in the next few weeks.
The governor’s announcement said the funding is made possible by using American Rescue Plan funding from the U.S. Capital Projects Fund, which awarded $40 million to Kansas for the program.
“Supporting early literacy and healthy development opens doors to success and opportunities for our children and families,” said Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Kansas Senate District 29. “The creation of the Storytime Village Literacy Center will strengthen early childhood development and provide families much-needed access to quality care and resources in my community and across Wichita.”
Through two rounds of funding, the Capital Projects Fund Accelerator has provided $38 million to create 771 new child care slots at multi-purpose community facilities. Combined with the Child Care Capacity Accelerator program grants previously announced last year, the Kelly administration has provided $94 million to expand access to child care for working families. These two funding opportunities have funded the creation of nearly 6,400 child care slots.
Other recipients of funding went to ABCC/Great Bend Economic Development, $4,382,493; Clay County Growth Alliance in Clay Center, $3,497,250; Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, $3,500,000; Kid Zone Learning Center in Overland Park, $11,251,100; St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, $4,999,999; and USD 258 in Humboldt, $4,970,400.
