Groundbreaking Ceremony for Otter Creek Child Center Set for Sept. 10

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Otter Creek Child Center (OCCC) on Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. marks the next phase of a community-wide effort to address a shortage of childcare in Addison County.

The new center at 150 Weybridge Street, which is scheduled to open in fall 2025, features a 13,000-square foot-expansion allowing for 77 new childcare spaces for a total of 139 daily spots. The expanded facility will address a significant need for high-quality childcare in the community. As of September 30, 2023, there were an estimated 440 infants and 241 toddlers in Addison County in need of childcare. Current capacity accommodates only 145 infants and 103 toddlers, according to a report by state nonprofit Let’s Grow Kids. 

Community Partnership

The groundbreaking marks the start of construction for a project that grew out of a collaboration among Middlebury College, local community members, and local, state, and federal agencies to address one of the state’s most critical issues.

“The expansion of the Otter Creek Child Center is an example of what can happen when private and public investment work together,” said Sherry Carlson, chief programs officer at Let’s Grow Kids. “It took collaboration from a variety of stakeholders as well as private, federal, and state investment to make this expansion possible. All of this boosts our economy by getting parents back into the workforce, improving school readiness for our kids, and making our communities stronger.”

Addison County lost half of its licensed childcare programs over the past 17 years due to staffing shortages, lack of funding, and closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statewide, 86 percent of programs experienced staffing shortages in 2022, according to the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children.   

In response, the College joined forces with OCCC, Let’s Grow Kids, the Early Care and Learning Partnership, Building Bright Futures, Champlain Valley Head Start, and other Addison County community members on the Community Childcare Expansion Team. That 12-person team provides strategic and logistical support for the expansion of the existing facility and financial support for the $10 million project that will create 28 new jobs. Sue Ritter, chief of staff, deputy general counsel, and former director of community relations, and David Provost, executive vice president for finance and administration, represent Middlebury.

“As Addison County’s largest employer, Middlebury College is particularly aware of how this shortage impacts working families and our ability to recruit and retain employees,” said Provost, adding that College students studying early childhood development will benefit from observing and working at the center. “Each job loss or job not filled due to the lack of affordable childcare has a direct impact on our region’s economy. The College is continuing to support this critical expansion effort financially and administratively. Our goal is to create a replicable model for rural community partnerships to ease the childcare crisis, one town, one county at a time.”

Doubling Capacity

The project involves construction and renovation of an existing building including a 13,000-square-foot expansion that will house 13 classrooms, a commercial kitchen, three playgrounds, office space, conference rooms, a staff lounge, and an expanded parking lot. The nearby College Street Children’s Center will merge with the Weybridge Street center, more than doubling the previous capacity of both centers combined.

The College has contributed in excess of $5 million, including the donation of adjacent land owned by the College, significant design costs, and internal staff resources over a five-year period.

Other funding sources include the following:

• Let’s Grow Kids (a $3.41 million in Congressionally Directed Spending from U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy).
• Vermont Community Recovery & Revitalization ($500,000)
• Northern Borders Regional Commission 2022 State Economic and Infrastructure Development grant ($350,000) and 2024 Catalyst grant ($397,806)
• Let’s Grow Kids “Make Way for Kids” capacity building grant program ($200,000)
• The Hoehl Family Foundation grant ($100,000)

Linda January, director of the OCCC, said the partnership with Middlebury College has been essential in moving the project forward. “The level of assistance we have received through grants, shared resources, and enthusiastic support for our expansion has been truly humbling,” she said.

Another key factor in advancing the project was Act 76—a new state child care law that invests $125 million in sustainable public funds annually into Vermont’s child care system. Funded in part by a payroll tax, Act 76 expands tuition support to families earning up to 575 percent of the federal poverty level ($179,400 for a family of four) as of October 2024. This first-of-its-kind legislation increases reimbursement rates for programs and has provided grants to support child care programs to upgrade facilities, boost enrollment, and increase pay for educators and staff, including those filling the 28 jobs created by the expansion of the center.

Cheryl Mitchell, a childcare advocate and former deputy secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services who serves on the Community Childcare Expansion Team, has watched the center grow from a small program into an expansive one that meets the needs of children, working families, and staff.

“From the day OCCC first contemplated moving into the beautiful old home on Weybridge Street to the groundbreaking of this gorgeous expansion, it has has been a tribute to the belief of so many in Addison County that doing well for all of our children is always the right thing to do,” said Mitchell.