BOISE, Idaho — Giraffe Laugh celebrated the groundbreaking of a new child care facility near the Boise Bench on Thursday morning.
Once the center opens next spring or summer, executive director Lori Fascilla said it will be their fourth permanent location.
Right now, Giraffe Laugh serves about 170 kids. She said they will be able to serve 80 more kids once the new center opens.
However, Fascilla said they still will not be able to meet demand.
"We have at least 400 children on our waitlist at any given time," she said. "And now that we have a new center opening, it is increasing daily as people get on our waitlist for that location."
Fascilla said it is more important now than ever to increase the number of child care resources. More than 300 centers in Idaho have closed since the pandemic.
That number will likely keep rising because federal American Rescue Plan Act money recently ran out.
"Spaces are even more difficult to find than they were in 2019," Fascilla said. "And even then, they predicted that 28% of kids just had no access to childcare or preschool in Idaho. And so, since the problem has gotten bigger, it really means that lower-income people have the least access."
Fascilla said they want to help close that gap with the new center, which will be located next to housing units.
Like many other centers, Giraffe Laugh has raised tuition to keep its centers open. But they're hoping to keep its costs lower at the new facility by offering scholarships for families in need, Fascilla said.
She encouraged people hoping to grow their families to get on multiple child care waitlists as soon as possible.
"If you're not on one, no one can call you," Fascilla said. "So, it is really important that people get on a waitlist even if they're thinking about becoming pregnant."
Giraffe Laugh is a nonprofit, meaning it can raise money for new centers. Fascilla said they have about 70% of what they need to open the new location.
Some of the money is coming from a state grant, she said.
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