Child Care Center Project Update

The Alburgh Family Clubhouse (AFC) Child Care Center Project is moving forward with strong and positive
momentum. The  AFC, Inc Board has secured the services of a Project Team of qualified professionals that
includes Duncan Wisniewski Architecture (DWA), Capital Project Consulting, Inc (PCI), and Reeva Murphy at
Heart of a Child Early Care and Learning Consultation. DWA and Heart of a Child have been with the project since
the onset. Northwest Regional Planning Commission continues to actively support and advise the project as
does United Way of Northwest Vermont. In 2023 and again in 2024 Lake Champlain Islands Economic
Development Corporation selected AFC, Inc as it’s top priority project to advance economic development in the
region.
Financing: AFC, Inc has secured donations and grants equaling $1,684,344 of the estimated $3.1 million needed
to complete the project, including $189,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending sponsored by Sen Sanders and
a Community Recovery and Revitalization Program (CRRP) grant for $500,000, just under the $600,000
requested as 20% of the project costs.  They anticipate an obligation of a $1 million USDA RD Community
Facilities Loan by February 2024. AFC has been approved for interim financing for federal reimbursable funds
with North Country Credit Union, a local financial institution. This leaves approximately $450,000 to go for full
project funding. An award of $100,000 in ARPA funds has been requested from the town of Alburgh and is a key
part of the overall plan. This leaves them with just $325,000 to raise in a final fundraising campaign with
Champlain Islands EDC targeted to regional businesses and employers.
Where & When: Two and a half acres of land on Missile Base Road, valued at $100,000, is being donated by a
local benefactor and has been evaluated as a viable site for the new building. DWA had completed a design for a
state-of the-art Early Care and Education facility that will be an asset for early education, family resilience, and
community vitality in Alburgh. Final transfer of the property is anticipated in January 2024. Act 250 permitting is
in process. They will be advertising a procurement for a Construction Manager in January 2024, breaking ground
in late spring, and plan to open to serve children by January 2025.
Leadership: The all-volunteer AFC, Inc Board is committed, engaged and professional in its conduct. They meet
monthly and welcome community members to any meeting. They maintain updates for their many supporters
on their website https://www.alburghfamilyclubhouse.com and Facebook page. Working with Heart of a Child,
they have developed a clear and sustainable business plan and 5 year pro forma that is poised to bring the
positive impact of Act 76, the Child Care Bill of 2023, to young children and families in Alburgh and surrounding
communities in the form of access to affordable, high quality, early care and education (ECE) and school age
services.
A Model: AFC, Inc. will open its full-day, year-round child care center in January 2025, creating 20 new Full-time
and Part-time jobs with good pay and benefits, and serving 16 infants, 10 toddlers, 18 preschoolers, and 18
afterschool children. In creating a community-owned, non-profit ECE Center, the Alburgh Family Clubhouse
serves as a model for how small, rural communities can come together to meet the needs of young children and
their families where they live.