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In Decatur, Illinois, the Love, Learning and Laughter Daycare is striving to address a pressing need within the community. However, the Decatur City Council has decided that the daycare must manage this using its existing financial resources. During a meeting on Tuesday, the council opted not to allocate an additional $125,000 to the daycare.
Previously, plans for a new daycare center had received the council’s approval. According to Councilman David Horn, the city had initially committed up to $400,000 for rehabilitation work last fall. Despite these efforts, Horn noted that the funds provided were insufficient to cover the additional needs that arose after the initial round of improvements.
“So, there was some additional need for rehabilitation, even after the city had done its initial rehabilitation work and the council last fall approved up to $400,000 in funding,” Councilman David Horn said.
Horn said the extra funding was not enough.
“In short, the bids came out at about $525,000. So, there was about a $125,000 gap. And so, the council considered whether to provide that additional $125,000,” Horn said.
He said the funding not being approved does not mean an end for the project.
“It’s absolutely imperative that we invest in the childcare facilities as much as we need to. So, without this $125,000, but I do remain confident that the childcare facility will begin operation,” said Horn.
On the other side, the owner of the daycare — Cherri Johnson — said lots of work has to be done.
“They still have to complete several things like HVAC, fire suppression systems as well as many other things. Some of the repairs, such as the flooring, are from the $750,000 dollars allocated to the project are not complete,” said Johnson.
Johnson said she is thankful for all the City of Decatur has done.
“Love, Learning and Laughter looks forward to seeing this become a successful reality,” Johnson said.
Horn said he wishes the city could provide more funding but now, his focus is getting the facility open.
“We want our children to have hope. And by providing a safe place for children to be, we give those kids and those parents an opportunity to have hope, an opportunity to make their futures better,” Horns said.
Horn said he hopes the project will be up and running for the Fall of 2026 to 2027 school year.