Village of Cashton receives $112,500 state grant to support development of new day care facility

MADISON, WI. Feb. 11, 2019 – The Village of Cashton is receiving a $112,500 state grant to redevelop a vacant office building into Cashton’s Cradles to Crayons, a new day care facility.

The Community Development Investment Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will support renovations of a 3,600-square-foot office building including updating plumbing, installing new flooring and equipping the kitchen for food preparation. The project will also include building a 2,000-square-foot addition featuring an open concept classroom.

The Cashton’s Cradles to Crayons day care facility will have capacity to care for 80 children, in age groups ranging from infants to 12-year-olds. The center will be licensed by the State of Wisconsin and will participate in the YoungStar Program, Wisconsin’s child care quality rating and improvement system administered by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

The new day care facility will serve to fill a child care gap in Monroe County. City officials stated that there are currently only five in-home child care centers in Cashton, of which only one is licensed.

“This project not only addresses a gap in child care services in Monroe County, but will also create jobs and accommodate the needs of working families in Cashton,” said Mark R. Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s lead economic development organization. “WEDC knows that community success is directly linked to quality services, which is why we support positive and substantive local development projects to encourage economic growth and improve the quality of life.”

“This facility will allow us to better serve families in Cashton and Monroe County by providing child care to a wide age range of children,” said Morgan Meyer, co-founder and director of Cashton’s Cradles to Crayons LLC. “We would like to thank WEDC for this grant that will allow us to bring a needed service into our community.”

WEDC’s Community Development Investment Grant Program supports community development and redevelopment efforts, primarily in downtown areas. The matching grants are awarded based on the ability of applicants to demonstrate the economic impact of the proposed project, including public and private partnership development, financial need and use of sustainable downtown development practices.

Since the program’s inception in 2013, WEDC has awarded more than $20 million in Community Development Investment Grants to 79 communities for projects expected to generate more than $280 million in capital investments statewide.

About the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) leads economic development efforts for the state by advancing and maximizing opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment. Working with more than 600 regional and local partners, WEDC develops and delivers solutions representative of a highly responsive and coordinated economic development network. Visit wedc.org or follow WEDC on Twitter @WEDCNews to learn more.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.