Community Foundation Leads Investment in New Downtown Campus for High Quality Early Education, Workforce Development
Indian River Community Foundation has approved a $1.5 million impact investment to support the construction of Childcare Resources of Indian River’s new campus in downtown Vero Beach. The project is the first of its kind that will breathe life into the downtown area while increasing Childcare Resources’ capacity to provide high-quality, affordable early education for more than 200 children, aged 6 weeks to 5 years, from low-income working families.
The Community Foundation’s investment is the largest source of local funding committed to the $14 million project to date. A loan of approximately $4.5 million from the Florida Community Loan Fund was used by Childcare Resources in 2024 to acquire the 2-acre property previously occupied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office. Another $6 million has been contributed by local donors so far. Additional contributions of $3 million will be needed to complete the project.
“Less than 50 percent of our community’s children enter elementary school ready for kindergarten,” says Shannon Bowman, executive director of Childcare Resources. “This new campus is a bold venture designed to turn this problem around for the good of our community.”
In addition to increasing enrollment, the new campus will include a Wellness and Early Intervention Services Center to provide occupational, speech, and physical therapy for children attending the school and from the community. It will also house a Training Center to provide professional development opportunities for early learning educators throughout the community.
“There are 55 licensed early childhood education organizations in Indian River County, employing a workforce that is paid an average of less than eighteen dollars per hour with few benefits, if any,” says Bowman. “Our new Training Center will provide hundreds of early educators with free professional development and coaching to help them become more effective in the classroom and increase their economic opportunity.”
“Our community cannot give up on children, low-income families, or even downtown revitalization. With this commitment, Indian River Community Foundation is doubling down on our vision for a healthy, prosperous, and generous Indian River County,” says Katy Healy, board chair of Indian River Community Foundation and senior vice president of Northern Trust. “Together, our generous clients and trusted community partners like Childcare Resources are fulfilling the Community Foundation’s mission of building a better community.”
“People talk about improving the lives of children and families, or reviving downtown Vero Beach,” says Vero Beach Mayor John Cotugno. “With this project, Childcare Resources and its benefactors are actually doing something about it.”
Since its establishment in 2008, Indian River Community Foundation and its clients have awarded more than $140 million in grants to local charities like Childcare Resources. More information about Childcare Resources can be found at www.childcareresources.org and about the Community Foundation at www.ircommunityfoundation.org.