VIDEO: Construction is underway on Boone Countyโs first child care center built exclusively for first responders. The 10,000-square-foot facility will feature multiple classrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas, and room for future expansion.
“I love this job, but at the end of the day, family comes first,” said Matthew Goodspeed, a single father and emergency telecommunicator said. “I have to do what’s right for my family. Being able to be flexible with child care and being able to work odd or different hours at times will definitely open up some doors.”
The new child care center is being built with a $2.5 million funding agreement appropriated by the Missouri General Assembly and approved by the Boone County Commission. This money covers roughly half of the projectโs cost.
โWe see this as a way to show our first responders within Boone County government that we have their back, that they can continue to go out and do their critical work each and every day, knowing that their most important asset โ their child โ is safe at a facility right there on site with them receiving high-quality care,โ Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said.
