The Haywood County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved $1.5 million to help Haywood Community College build the Regional Model Child Development Center, which will be located on HCC’s campus near Clyde.

The current childcare center at HCC serves 41 children, but the new center will have a capacity for 163 children.

“The new facility will do more than provide basic child care,” said Neal Ensley, chairman of the HCC Board of Trustees. “It will be a model center that will provide educational opportunities for students and learning opportunities for parents. Obviously it will be very helpful to our students, especially those with young children and for those who are enrolled in our Early Childhood programs of study. The Center will also have extended hours to serve people who have evening work hours and students who attend college during non-traditional hours.”

HCC Interim President Donald Stanton said the college will now have enough funding to start the bidding process for construction and perhaps break ground in late November or early December.

According to Ensley, the project will cost approximately $4 million. Additional funding will come from the Region A Partnership for Children, the N.C. Partnership for Children, the Duke Endowment, the Janirve Foundation, and the HCC Foundation.

Construction is projected to take 18 months.