NeighborImpact, OSU-Cascades announce plan for childcare building
BEND, Ore. – NeighborImpact will open Head Start classrooms on the OSU-Cascades campus in September, leaders of the two organizations announced today.
“NeighborImpact and OSU-Cascades have a history of partnership in the early childhood space,” said Scott Cooper, NeighborImpact Executive Director. “As the largest single early care and education provider in the region, NeighborImpact’s Head Start program logically belongs where it can bring more capacity to Bend families and serve as a learning site for students with a plan to pursue careers in early childhood education.”
The new Head Start classrooms, which will serve 33 children through state and federally subsidized Head Start, are on track to open Sept. 8. Three classrooms are planned: two toddler classrooms for children ages one to three and one preschool classroom for children ages three to five.
The program has been in development for several months and will occupy a portion of the space where OSU’s Little Kits program had operated over the past year. In the spring, OSU decided to close its independent program and instead lease the space to local childcare providers to further OSU’s commitment to increasing childcare opportunities in the region.
NeighborImpact has signed the first such lease, but both organizations are working to bring in an additional provider over time to increase the community’s diversity of childcare options.
“OSU-Cascades is committed to ensuring that the OSU childcare building serves its intended purpose of helping solve the childcare crisis in Central Oregon,” said Christine Pollard, interim chancellor and dean for OSU-Cascades. “We’re proud to partner with NeighborImpact as a first step in this important effort.”
The local nonprofit organization has signed a long-term lease for a portion of the building at a rate that will allow OSU to balance its investment in the facility, while providing the greatest community benefit, Pollard said.
“This new partnership is one piece of the larger puzzle, providing a partial solution to families’ need for safe, affordable childcare in the region,” Cooper said. “Many people don’t know that Head Start serves not only low-income households but also households with higher incomes and children with special needs. Importantly, this partnership will bring badly needed expansion of care for children under age three, where childcare shortages are especially acute.”
NeighborImpact’s existing Head Start program serves 601 children in Bend, Redmond, Prineville and La Pine with high-quality care and preschool as well as nutrition, health screening and family support. The program is free to participating families, and eligibility is determined through several factors, including income, housing and utility costs, disability, family circumstances and available enrollment flexibility. Families who are interested are encouraged to apply so staff can help determine whether they qualify.
NeighborImpact will work with OSU-Cascades to help former Little Kits families who still need care to access a limited number of available Head Start spaces, including some families who may not qualify by income alone, as program rules allow.
NeighborImpact is now enrolling students and hiring staff for the fall opening. Families and childcare professionals can find more details and apply online at www.neighborimpact.org.
About NeighborImpact: NeighborImpact is a private nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Central Oregon since 1985. The organization supports people and strengthens communities through programs that address food security, housing, energy assistance, early childhood education, childcare resources, financial empowerment and supportive services. NeighborImpact primarily serves Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, with select services available in additional Oregon communities. To learn more, visit neighborimpact.org.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest-growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forests and high desert, OSU-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. OSU-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building. 128-acre campus with net-zero goals. To learn more, visit osucascades.edu.