COMMUNITY FOUNDATION & CTE ACADEMY ANNOUNCE $2.25 MILLION GRANT

A project to expand the CTE Academy’s childcare program in Elizabeth has received a $2.25 million grant. The grant will go to the CTE Academy’s fund at the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County. The grant supports a long-standing partnership between the CTE Academy and the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County to increase access to vocational and technical training and increase childcare access in Jo Daviess County.

The grant will provide funds for an addition to the CTE Academy facility for the Little Learners Academy and supports the CTE Academy Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County, which will provide funding for the CTE Academy forever, through invested funds that pay out annual grants.

In 2023, the CTE Academy explored an expansion to their facility, for the Little Learners Academy (preschool), to increase access to childcare for the Community. A grant application at the time to support the project was not funded, but the vision for the project remained intact. “The Little Learners Academy began as a way to provide high school students in our Early Childhood Education Program with experience in the field. By having childcare onsite, they wouldn’t have to travel to a childcare center for classroom experiences, said Chad Stenberg, Executive Director of the CTE Academy. “This grant will help us add rooms and expand our services to ensure every family in our area has access to affordable childcare.”

Earlier this Spring, the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County (CFJC) launched an initiative to expand childcare access in the County with a Childcare Summit in March. The Summit convened leaders from childcare centers, home centers, schools, county officials, and childcare resource providers to map existing childcare, learn about available resources, and begin to create ideas for expanding childcare access in the County. “Through our work with families and employers in the County, we were hearing stories about childcare needs, said Tom Heidenreich, CFJC Board Chair. “The summit started a productive conversation, gathered & shared data and information about childcare gaps and available resources.” The CFJC plans to continue to work with partner agencies and organizations to find more ways to increase access to childcare throughout the County.

The project at the CTE Academy will expand the CTEA/Early Childhood Education High School Learning Lab, where students from local school districts experience hands-on learning. The expansion will include new space for infants, toddlers, and improvements to the existing Little Learners Preschool and playground area.

“Our work with the CTE Academy has taught us a lot about the need for vocational and technical training in our County. Many of today’s jobs require technical skills and all of them require childcare for workers who have families.”, said Eric Dregne, Community Foundation president. “At a Childcare Summit in March, we identified the opportunity for existing childcare centers to expand access, and for more home providers. Expanding the CTE Academy program can create more childcare access now and train the future childcare providers we need. That’s why we are pleased to be a partner in this exciting project.”

You can help. Donations to the CTE Academy Fund or the CFJC Special Projects Fund can be made on the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess website www.cfjodaviess.org/give.

The Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County fosters giving and invests in communities in Northwest Illinois.

The CTE Academy is a collaborative educational opportunity for high school learners in the northwestern corner of Illinois.

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