Spartanburg County organizations announce Project 100 funding for participating childcare providers

Five childcare providers across Spartanburg County will receive funding thanks to an innovative pilot led by OneSpartanburg, Inc., Power Up Spartanburg, the Mary Black Foundation, Spartanburg County First Steps, and Quality Counts.

Project 100: Quality Childcare for Spartanburg’s Growing Future was announced in April to expand the amount of childcare available countywide through facility investments.

The effort will provide $164,000 in direct funding to locally-owned facilities that are actively participating in Power Up Spartanburg. This will create a total of 107 new childcare seats countywide.

The funding and project break-down is as follows:

• Croft Christian Academy will receive $40,000 in funding to complete a renovation, adding three additional classrooms that wouldn’t have opened otherwise. This will allow Croft Christian Academy to create 34 new seats.
• Little Beginner’s, LLC will receive $40,000 to upfit a previously-closed facility, including roof work, plumbing and electrical, and the addition of a new outdoor play area. With this work, Little Beginner’s will add 31 new childcare seats.
• Miss Tammy’s Little Learning Center in Boiling Springs will receive $40,000 in funding to add 20 new seats through the expansion of classroom space.
• Naomi’s Academy will receive $24,000 to expand its offerings to second-and third-shift workers, supporting sleep and safety renovations by moving walls, adding furniture, fans, lights, and more. This will allow them to add 12 new seats.
• Victory in Learning Childcare Academy will receive $20,000 to add bathroom and storage space, and to convert existing storage space into a 1-to 3-year-old classroom. This will allow them to add 10 new childcare seats.

“The data is clear, investments in early-childhood set the stage for sustained academic success. On top of that, this initiative aligns with goals in the OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 2.0 to reduce barriers to workforce participation, enhance early-childhood education, and strengthen our countywide small business economy,” said OneSpartanburg, Inc. President and CEO Allen Smith.

Each of the childcare centers receiving funding have committed to remain actively engaged with Power Up Spartanburg and to join Spartanburg’s Quality Counts program.

“The Mary Black Foundation was proud to be a key partner in Project 100. It provided a unique opportunity to further our organizational focus of supporting children and families during the critical early years. This kind of support helps build a healthier, stronger community for generations to come,” said Mary Black Foundation President and CEO Molly Talbot-Metz.

“The data used to construct the OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 2.0 showed a lack of childcare availability was a barrier to people across Spartanburg County who weren’t currently working but wanted to reenter the workforce,” said OneSpartanburg, Inc. Chief Talent Officer Ron Garner. “Project 100 gives us an innovative, and more importantly, scalable, solution for some of these families to get back into the workforce and to do so knowing their children are being cared for in a high-quality, safe, and caring environment.”