Young alumnus, local dignitaries, parents, students, teachers and engaged community members joined in August for the groundbreaking ceremony of Little Angels Family Daycare Center II, Inc., a state-of-the-art early learning facility in Englewood.
The ceremony marked the beginning of construction for the new 11,568-square-foot facility led by Nashone Greer-Adams, Founder, Owner and Director of the center. When completed, the two-story facility will be ADA compliant featuring an elevator and an outside playground area.
Little Angels Family Daycare is a for-profit corporation formed by Greer-Adams in 2006. The early learning center’s primary service is educational and development support for children ages six weeks to five years old and their families in the Englewood community.
Located at 6704 S. Emerald, Little Angels has been a staple of excellence in the Englewood community for over 19 years with 90% of all graduates placed in gifted and selective enrollment Chicago Public Schools. “[One of our former students] just last summer received an acceptance letter from Fisk University,” Greer-Adams told the crowd gathered for the groundbreaking. “HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] often visit elementary schools in the city of Chicago to provide counseling and services. [Our former student] was a counselor and was selected for Fisk University’s Bridge Program. We are very proud of our youth in so many ways.”
“We have a 90% teacher retention rate as well,” Greer-Adams added. “Our teachers are with us for the long haul, fully dedicated and committed.”
The new facility will be situated across the street from its current location inside the Alpha Temple Missionary Baptist Church and will be licensed to accommodate approximately 115-120 students, an increase from its pre-COVID-19 capacity of 40 students.
CCLF provided Little Angels Family Daycare a $4,785,000 Construction/Mini Permanent loan for the new daycare center as well as extensive technical assistance as part of CCLF’s Technical Assistance Gateway. The project also received $2.4 million in grants from the city of Chicago and $1.5 million in grants from the State of Illinois.
Joining alumnus who praised their experiences at the center were Illinois State Representative Cyril Nichols (32nd District) and 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez and team members from IFF Real Estate Solutions.
“I strongly advocated in Springfield with Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Chris Welch and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for support of Little Angels,” State Representative Nichols shared with the crowd. “They extended full support because of the important work Little Angels has done in the Englewood community.
CCLF President Calvin L. Holmes, also in attendance, told the crowd, “We want Nashone and her team to know that this facility is a key part of how CCLF supports the Englewood community. Our approach is holistic—housing, like our investment recently in Evergreen Housing Cooperative; retail, like our investment a few years ago in Englewood Square; and social enterprise, like our investment in Growing Home. This community facility is the fourth pillar of how we are supporting Englewood’s rebirth holistically, and we thank you for the opportunity to do so.”