Efforts to end childcare crisis

Shelbyville, Ill. (WAND) – Like other small rural towns Shelbyville is facing a childcare crisis. The central Illinois town is busy developing a new Shelby County Early Learning Center with the help of local businesses. Without daycare parents are forced to decide between working, staying at home or moving out of town.

“If you want to attract young people to the area, if you want the young people to stay in the area, good quality daycare is important if you have a single parent or families that want to have both parents to work,” Kevin Bernson of Shelby Electric Cooperative told WAND News. The cooperative donated $30,000 which includes a match from CoBank.

Shelbyville is renovating a building to open a new Shelby County Early Learning Center. It will be located in a building at 200 North Morgan Street in Shelbyville. The building was donated by First Federal Savings & Loan.

When completed it will hold 99 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. There will be a staff of 20. It is expected to open in the fall of 2027.