A local church saw a need in the community and responded by offering a solution – a new daycare facility. Heaven’s Sake is going through the final steps of becoming a certified early childcare center through the Department of Human Services with the State of Iowa. Pastor David Watson of the Washington First Assembly of God says there’s a need for more child care locally, “We noticed back at the beginning of the year, several different families that came into Washington, the City of Washington and then Washington County, that were looking for childcare for 0-3 year-olds and had a waitlist of upwards of a year. And then they started checking around and there’s some really great childcare centers in Washington but they’re full. So we were checking into the possibility of creating a childcare center that was a certified childcare center through the State of Iowa, that met the needs of 0-3 year-olds, and then also being affordable.”

The facility will have a capacity to care for 23 young children while creating up to 10 jobs, “We look at is kind of a double-win. The statistics that we got, is that there’s over 1,000 childcare spots in Washington but there’s still a need for over 800 more, and that’s a lot of kids.”

Watson says the long term goal is to expand in the future. The curriculum is state-approved and will be faith-based. Heaven’s Sake has a couple of more steps to complete with the state before opening its doors this fall.