Decorah Child Development Center Gets Over $3 Million in Federal Grants, Loans

A northeast Iowa childcare center is receiving over $3 million in federal and local financial assistance.

Tuesday at the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce, MiEnergy Cooperative announced they have helped Sunflower Child Development Center in Decorah secure $1.86 million in loans and grants through the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program. 

Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative helped the center secure another $1.5 million through USDA’s Rural Economic Development Loan Financing. Dairyland Power Cooperative contributed $2,500 matched by CoBank, a national bank cooperative, through CoBank’s Sharing Success Program.

 Sunflower is constructing a new, approximately 27,000 square foot, Northeast Iowa Child Development and Discovery Center. The new facility will replace the current aging center and support a capacity of 214 children with room to grow. It will also include age-appropriate outdoor playgrounds.

 Classrooms will be separated from the discovery center’s science, technology, engineering, art and math learning areas, indoor play areas and other common-use areas so that children throughout the area can benefit. The discovery center will be open evenings and weekends to the public to provide additional revenue for supporting Sunflower operations.

 Site preparations began in October with the building scheduled for completion in July 2024.