Madison College will soon fulfill a promise to bring child care to the South Madison community and train the next generation of early childhood educators with a new $10 million facility at Madison College Goodman South campus, which opened in 2019.
Construction for the Early Learning Campus will begin in January 2025 and the facility is slated to open in January 2026. It will be licensed for 75–86 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, in a neighborhood where child care options are scarce, especially for infants.
According to Jessica Cioci, dean of the School of Human and Protective Services at Madison College, child care at the college’s Truax campus will also expand, from the 50 spots currently offered up to 82.
“Madison College has been committed to providing child care for a long time,” noted Cioci. “We have had campus child care since 1989, and over the years we have seen the need continue to grow and expand.”
The new 20,000-square-foot Early Learning Campus will house seven classrooms. Four of those classrooms will meet the needs of infants and toddlers; two will be dedicated to infant care and one to 2-year-olds. One classroom will also be a flexible space to accommodate children as they age. The second floor of the new facility will have two 3-year-old classrooms as well as a 4-year-old kindergarten classroom. Drop-in care will also be available for students needing shorter duration child care while they visit campus.
In addition, the Early Learning Center will feature a multipurpose room to provide a space for large motor activities when the weather doesn’t permit children to go outside. The outdoor playground space will be divided into two sections, with room for infants and toddlers on one side and space for older preschool-age children on the other. “The focus of the outdoor space will be on creating as much of a natural environment as possible so that we can really encourage curiosity, exploration, and creativity on the playground,” said Cioci.
The new facility also aims to be a game-changer for Madison College’s early childhood education students by providing space and opportunities to elevate their skills.
According to a statement from Madison College, the Early Learning Campus will address the critical shortage of affordable and accessible child care in the South Madison community, a crisis exacerbated by a nearly 30% decline in the child care workforce between 2020 and 2021. By investing in this effort, Madison College is meeting the needs of its students — 42% of whom are parents — while also supporting workforce partners and families across the communities it serves.
“Now is the time to bridge the child care gap for our students,” said Madison College President Jack E. Daniels. “Madison College and its outstanding partners look forward to continuing to be a part of the solution as we present innovative initiatives like this Early Learning Campus. This step forward is not just about supporting education; it’s about fostering sustainable futures, enhancing lives, and serving our community for generations to come.”
Gov. Tony Evers praised the effort to expand child care options, funded in part by a Workforce Innovation Grant.
“What’s best for our kids is best for our state, and ensuring working families have access to quality, affordable child care in our local communities is a critical part of not only doing what’s best for kids but also what’s best for our state’s workforce and our economy,” said Gov. Evers in a statement. “Through our successful Workforce Innovative Grant Program, I am proud of our work to support Madison College’s project to build a new child care center on campus. This new center will help students and families alike have the tools and resources they need to thrive and know that their kids are being provided excellent care right here on campus.”
Years in the making, the initiative evolved with the support of a community-wide collaboration of partners. In particular, the city of Madison supported the project with the $1 sale of the fire station adjacent to the Goodman South campus.
“The city of Madison is proud to be part of a coalition that recognized a critical need for the community and worked together to provide a solution,” said Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “Lack of affordable child care shouldn’t be a barrier to success for any family in Madison. The opening of this new facility brings us closer to achieving that goal. This investment in the city’s south side is an example of Madison’s commitment to ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to thrive.”
The renovation project was funded through $1.8 million of the college’s Workforce Innovation Grant, $1.45 million Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Early Education grant, gifts from private funders, including $2 million from the Roots & Wings Foundation, $1 million from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, $250,000 from American Family Insurance, $150,000 from Madison Community Foundation’s Community Impact Grants program, plus donations from the community and Madison College employees.
“The Department of Workforce Development is thrilled to partner with Madison College’s Goodman South campus to expand child care options on Madison’s south side,” DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek said in a press release. “Access to high-quality child care is essential for a successful workforce and a thriving community.”
