Early Childhood Development Center at Shimer Square ​

Childcare is more than just a service—it's a critical component of workforce development. By addressing the childcare needs of families, we enable parents to pursue career opportunities and contribute to the local economy. The Early Childhood Development Center at Shimer Square will play a pivotal role in supporting job creation, increasing access to quality childcare, and fostering a thriving, connected region.

​In a strategic move to foster job creation, community growth, and development, GROWTH, at the request of the City of Mount Carroll, is developing a high-quality childhood development center adjacent to new housing units that are currently under construction within McKee/Hostetter and Dezendorf Halls. 

To help bring this vision to life, GROWTH secured a maximum $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office of Community Services (OCS) through the Community Economic Development (CED) program in October 2022. This significant grant, awarded to GROWTH as the sole grantee from Illinois for that fiscal year, marks a pivotal step in advancing this critical development. Building on this momentum, we conducted a comprehensive feasibility study in 2023, in collaboration with the City of Mount Carroll. The study highlighted a strong demand for an early childhood development center within a 30-minute radius of Mount Carroll, underscoring the necessity and relevance of this facility. The significance of this project further resonated in 2023 when GROWTH, in collaboration with the City of Mount Carroll, undertook a comprehensive feasibility study to assess the feasibility and need of establishing an early childhood development center for families living within a 30-minute radius of Mount Carroll. The results of the study indicated a strong demand for such a facility,  underscoring the relevance of such an institution within the Shimer Square campus.

Now in 2024, beyond the $800,000, GROWTH has received a financial commitment by the City of Mount Carroll for $376,000 and secured additional private financing and funding to develop the early childhood development center. Plans have expanded the site to encompass a more preferred child/square foot ratio and exceeds 5,000 SF. 

GROWTH is currently in negotiations with an Operator. A bid notice is now open seeking bids for various parts of the construction. Construction is anticipated to begin October 2024.

The childhood development center at Shimer Square will house a brand new, early childcare facility, create new jobs, and help working families address an existing barrier by having access to childcare within Mount Carroll, IL. After meticulous evaluation considering various factors such as costs, available funding, and timing, the site for the center underwent thorough consideration. Ultimately, it was decided that constructing a new facility within the Shimer Square campus would be the most viable option. This decision was reached with careful deliberation, ensuring that the childhood early development center could be established efficiently, effectively meeting the community's needs.

Childcare Feasibility Study

In January 2023, GROWTH, in partnership with the City of Mount Carroll, sought to conduct a childcare feasibility study to justify the childcare needs of the community. The market study would fully quantify need within Carroll County and is a prerequisite to partnering with an operator.   At the request of GROWTH, the City of Mount Carroll agreed to fund the required market study early in 2023 and GROWTH commissioned Triangle 2 Solutions, an experienced childcare center market analyst, to investigate the potential services and physical space that will be needed for a new childcare center and early childhood programs to serve the area. 

The feasibility study produced concrete detail on demand, projected participants, pricing, and desirable amenities and features. An executive summary of the feasibility study shows a very strong indication and comprehensive picture of the current and forecasted demand for childcare services and that Shimer Square fit the market for a childcare center to serve residents living within a 30-minute radius.  

The study strongly supports the development of a childcare center with results received by primary care providers of children ages 0 to 10, summarized below:

• 402 completed phone interviews
• 130 online surveys
• A very high majority of the responses found the Shimer Square location to be very or somewhat convenient by the survey respondents
• Equally high interest in full-day childcare/preschool at Shimer Square
• The study also showed the most important elements in choosing a daycare are the quality of staff, price, and location.
• Click here to view the Executive Summary.