BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) – The Boys and Girls Club in Brookings is adding an early childhood center to its facility.

The Brookings Boys and Girls Club will open an early childhood center next month. It’s part of a collaborative project with the Brookings School District that will serve up to 130 kids ages 0 to 3.

“There was a study that was completed, and the study showed that there was a need for children. There were approximately 400 plus children that either didn’t have care or were in unlicensed care,” CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Plains Jody Hernandez said. “They were between the age of birth and five years old.”

Research done by the Economic Development Corporation shows Brookings struggles at times to bring in employers due to not having enough childcare.

“That doesn’t mean that those that were here were not doing well. It means we simply had gaps in capacity. We needed to have more capacity, especially in the areas of 0 to 3,” Brookings School District Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz said.

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The new early childhood center will feature programs that align with the Brookings School District’s curriculum, to help kids transition directly into preschool.

“It’s a continuum of care from birth all the way to five. So as the children progressed through the program, then they go straight from here on to the preschool at the school district,” Hernandez said.

The new childhood center will begin taking in 30 kids on March 3rd and work its way up to its capacity.