Fire Station 6, which shares a parking lot with Goodman South Campus, was recently purchased by Madison College for $1 from the city of Madison. Over the next few years, the station will be converted to additional classrooms and a childcare center so that Madison College is better able to serve the south Madison community.
In particular, the childcare center planned for the new building has attracted much interest. Because of the low availability of quality childcare, many parents are unable to return to school to help further their careers. The childcare center Madison College aims to build will serve the children of student parents and community members and be a learning experience for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education.
The expansion will also contain classrooms to educate and prepare the students looking to go into childcare and education. Particularly with the shortage of affordable childcare since the COVID-19 pandemic, the extra services and opportunities to join the field are especially important.
To help support student parents with resources such as more available childcare, Madison College received a Wisconsin Innovation Grant; $1.25 million of this grant has been allocated for the Goodman South expansion.
Similar to the existing childcare center on the Truax Campus, Goodman South’s center will care for children aged six weeks to five years while their parents attend classes or work. One of the potential plans is to incorporate drop-in care, as opposed to the current enrollment requirement for the children at the Truax Early Learning Campus.
According to current plans, the expansion of Goodman South Campus will start mid to late 2024, and the new building will open by 2026. Fire Station 6 will be rebuilt across the street from its current location and is expected to be completed sometime in 2027.
This project is one of several major changes in progress near Goodman South Campus: the transfer station located just across the street from the campus was converted to an ordinary bus stop during the redesign of the Madison Metro bus system this past summer. Adjacent to the former transfer station, the Centro Hispano is relocating to a new and larger building, which is currently under construction. These changes, among others, are part of a larger project to redevelop the Park/Badger area.
To learn more about the developments near the Goodman South Campus over the next few years, visit the City of Madison website. To learn more about early childcare facilities currently offered through Madison College, visit the Madison College Early Learning Campus website.