US-based electronics and technology company Gentex Corporation and non-profit organisation ODC Network (ODC) have broken ground on the Gentex Discovery Preschool.
The project will encompass the construction of an on-site day-care centre, which is intended to provide quality, subsidised childcare for the kids of Gentex employees.
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Gentex president and CEO Steve Downing said: “Improving access to affordable, quality childcare is a goal shared by all the groups represented here today.
“Finding and paying for childcare has increasingly become a burden for far too many in our community. It’s a barrier to employment that also negatively affects child development, household financial stability, and overall economic growth.
“We trust this facility will become a meaningful benefit for Gentex employees, allow individuals to renter the workforce, and create childcare openings throughout the community.”
Gentex Discovery Preschool: An ODC Network Early Childcare Centre will be a 43,000ft² facility on Gentex’s Zeeland corporate campus.
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By GlobalDataThe facility will feature 12 day-care rooms, three infant rooms, an office and common area, a food production area, and an indoor play centre.
There will also be a fishing pond and several outside nature-based playscapes.
Gentex will own the facility and be managed by the ODC Preschools, a subsidiary of ODC Network.
ODC CEO Travis Williams said: “Employer-based childcare centres are strategically important to the continued growth of West Michigan.
“They benefit the employer by helping attract and retain talent, the economy by expanding the workforce, and children by reducing the achievement gap and improving health and educational outcomes.”
The Gentex Discovery Preschool is anticipated to cater to both first- and second-shift workers’ children, with a capacity of approximately 250 children per shift.
