photo by: Contributed

A rendering of the north side of the building at 346 Maine St., showing the Family Resource Center.

After construction delays caused it to miss its goal of opening in June, the nonprofit Community Children’s Center’s new child care project is now expected to open in September to provide more capacity for families in Douglas County.

The CCC’s Early Childhood Community Center, 346 Maine St., has been in the works for years now. When the Journal-World talked with executive director Kim Polson in March, she said the facility was expected to add 69 child care slots for Douglas County families, and that it was scheduled to open in June.

This week, Polson said the project had encountered some setbacks since then, but she also said the project was nearing completion.

“There has actually been some additional delays with construction and subcontractors and getting everybody aligned,” Polson told the Journal-World. But she said the CCC hopes it will obtain a temporary occupancy permit for a majority of the building within the next few weeks so kids can start using the space as some of the remaining construction wraps up. She anticipates that the facility will open for families and kids sometime in September.

“We are hopeful that with that temporary occupancy permit that we will be able to open the Family Resource Center side and the child care side,” Polson said. “So basically, everything that has programming for families.”

She added that the only thing the building is experiencing delays with is the elevator that is being put in, which is partially dependent on when the equipment is going to arrive. There have also been delays with putting together the catering-grade kitchen within the facility.

“Those two things are likely the only things that won’t be completed and functional,” she said, referring to when the center is anticipating to open its doors next month.

The project is a partnership between the CCC and Creating Connections, a Kansas City-area organization which offers a variety of therapy services, including speech therapy and occupational therapy, in settings where children interact with their peers.

Creating Connections currently operates three locations in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, and recently, it expanded its services to include child care and preschool programs.

The building will also be home to the Family Resource Center, which assists parents and caregivers in the county. It offers access to the organization’s clothing closet – which is being relocated from 1605 Davis Road – for children sizes 0-6T, diapers and wipes, and maternity clothing as well. Additionally, the resource center will be offering Grow and Go playgroups, free sessions that are designed to foster creativity and curiosity in children, among other resources.

Polson said once the building is complete, she’s looking forward to seeing children in the space.

“Because that’s what it’s here for, and we haven’t had the benefit of really seeing the impact it will have on families firsthand,” Polson said. “I am definitely looking forward to the first few weeks of kiddos in the space.”

Polson said in the meantime the CCC is seeking donations ahead of the facility’s opening. She said it’s in need of clothing and diaper donations for children from birth through age 5. Donations can be dropped off between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Donation Center on the east side of the 346 Maine St. building.