DOVER – As more than 75% of Delaware families continue to struggle with finding quality childcare, according to a recent study, Delaware leaders are stepping up to find solutions.
A partnership between the Department of Education, the governor’s office, Delaware State University (DSU) and other leaders founded the new Early Childhood Innovation Center (ECIC) back in 2021. It is housed at DSU and now, so is its new state-of-the-art facility which is open for business as of its ribbon-cutting celebration Monday.
Leaders, including DSU leadership, as well as Governor Matt Meyer, Delaware’s federal delegation and students alike celebrated the grand opening Monday morning, honoring the “growth and progress,” as described during the event by ECIC Executive Director Dr. Kimberly Krzanowski.
“The arrow design in our logo represents growth and progress, along with our motto: unapologetically insisting on success,” she said in the press release. “A concept turned to reality, with close to 500 scholars actively working toward a CDA, associate, or bachelor’s degree, all while working with children from birth to age five in communities across the state.”
Plans for the new two-story 14,000 square feet facility, which nearly doubled the program’s birth to five capacities, officially began in 2021 with a price tag of more than $14 million. The Delaware Business Times previously reported that some of that funding came from the state Department of Education while then-Governor John Carney committed $30.6 million over the course of five years deriving, in part, from the American Rescue Plan Act.
But the building itself was just one aspect of what needed to be done to address increased requirements for early childhood educators.
Over recent years, professionals working in daycares and other early childhood education settings have faced increased education and licensing requirements, meaning a new level of educational support is now required before entering the workforce.
“We have to build a cradle-through-career support system that lowers costs for families and improves outcomes for children,” U.S. Representative Sarah McBride said during the event. “Right now, we have a 1950s care infrastructure trying to support a 2025 workforce.”
Ultimately, the partnership behind the ECIC sought to start fixing that gap through increased opportunity and access to early childhood education certificate and degree programs with the new facility now acting as the statewide hub for training, advocacy and educational advancement, according to a press release from the university.
U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester encouraged the group during the ribbon cutting by saying, “People are skipping meals or cutting work hours just to afford care. But what you are doing here at DSU can be a national model, not just in quantity, but in quality.”
Students enrolled in the ECIC can find education complete with wrap-around supports like stipends, support for devices and other supplies and childcare help so they can further their education to help others.
“This is about more than opening doors. It’s about changing lives and trajectories,” Dr. Shelley Rouser, chair of DSU’s Department of Education, said. “This workforce is mostly women, mostly women of color. The investment we’re making today will echo across generations.”
