|
The center was opened in 1969 with an enrollment of 11 children. It was started by Church Women United who saw the need for quality child care in Grinnell and the surrounding areas. The first location was in the basement of the old Presbyterian Church on the corner of 5th and State Streets. Several years later, the center moved to the basement of St. Francis Manor, which had been extensively renovated.
In 1977, the center was forced to move from St. Francis because the building was soon to be razed. The United Methodist Church graciously offered Grinnell Day Care 3 spacious classrooms, office space, the use of kitchen facilities to house the program, and these were gratefully utilized for 17 years.
The Infant-Toddler Center was opened in the remodeled D&P Lumberyard showroom in June of 1987, and later joined the center at the United Methodist Church.
In the early 1990s, a community-wide fund drive and generous contributions from local businessman and philanthropist Claude Ahrens resulted in the construction of the Ahrens Family Center. On May 31, 1994, the Grinnell Community Day Care & Preschool began renting space in the Ahrens Family Center and moved all programs to that location.
|
