Madison College will be bringing child care to the South Madison community and training the next generation of early childhood educators with a new $10 million facility at Madison College Goodman South Campus. The Early Learning Campus is slated to open in January 2026, Madison College announced in a press release, and will be licensed for 75-86 children from ages six weeks to five years old.
“Now is the time to bridge the childcare gap for our students. Madison College and its outstanding partners look forward to continuing to be a part of the solution as we present innovative initiatives like this Early Learning Campus,” said Madison College President Jack E. Daniels in a press release. “This step forward is not just about supporting education; it’s about fostering sustainable futures, enhancing lives, and serving our community for generations to come.”
The two-story building renovation at Madison College South, which opened in 2019, will include eight classrooms, a kitchen, a multipurpose room, teacher workspace, and collaboration space for Madison College’s Early Childhood Education program.
This new Early Learning Campus will address the critical shortage of affordable and accessible child care in the South Madison community, a crisis exacerbated by a nearly 30% decline in the childcare workforce between 2020 and 2021, Madison College said, and by investing in this effort, Madison College is meeting the needs of its students — 42% of whom are parents — while also supporting workforce partners and families across the communities it serves.
The effort is funded in part by a Workforce Innovation Grant.
“What’s best for our kids is best for our state, and ensuring working families have access to quality, affordable child care in our local communities is a critical part of not only doing what’s best for kids but also what’s best for our state’s workforce and our economy,” said Gov. Tony Evers in a statement. “Through our successful Workforce Innovative Grant Program, I am proud of our work to support Madison College’s project to build a new child care center on campus. This new center will help students and families alike have the tools and resources they need to thrive and know that their kids are being provided excellent care right here on campus.”
Construction for the Early Learning Campus will begin in January 2025.
