The construction of Ferris State University’s Early Learning Center is progressing well for the new educational facility that will also serve care needs for the children of students, faculty, staff, and the greater community as the 2023-24 academic year begins.

Ferris has offered the ELC as a resource since the late 1980s to provide hands-on learning for its Early Childhood Education students while offering quality educational experiences children of the university community. In February 2022, the Board of Trustees approved the design and development of the stand-alone facility, according to Early Learning Center Manager Lori Johnson.

“We are thankful the supply chain issues of the last year or so have not impacted progress at the center,” Johnson said. “There is great excitement among our team as we move toward dedicated and designed operational space, which will mean a great deal for our instructional capabilities and staff.”

The Early Learning Center continues benefiting from successful applications for government funding of its operations. Johnson secured a U.S. Department of Education grant in Fall 2022 that will provide $2.04 million over four years for the center through the “Child Care Access Means Parents in School” (CCAMPIS) program. The awarded funds will provide a family support specialist joining the staff, the addition of “wrap-around care” for children after the conclusion of the school day and subsidies to support the costs of care for children of Pell Grant-eligible students.

The Early Learning Center also received just over $178,000 from the Michigan Department of Education last year, with most of those funds used for classroom material purchases, staffing costs and tuition assistance.

Bishop Hall was home to the facility, but it is scheduled for demolition as part of the Campus Master Plan. The new Early Learning Center is on the west side of campus near Ferris’ Department of Public Safety, Cramer Hall and West Campus Apartments. Johnson expects visitors will enjoy the future center’s floor plan.

“We will grow to five classrooms, increasing our capacity for children under three years of age,” Johnson said. “This will accentuate the learning opportunity for our Early Childhood Education students and the families we serve.”

Plans are still in development for the Early Learning Center’s grand opening, expected during the Fall 2023 semester.