IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Childcare is hard to find, and it's expensive. It's why Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee wants to provide their services to more families, but they need to raise a significant amount of money to get there.
For 125 children from four weeks to 5-years-old, Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee is their second home.
Executive Director Brandon Dowdy said their future starts here.
"Everybody out here in Immokalee deserves the same chance everybody else gets and the good thing about Immokalee. It's solvable," he said.
It's one of the few accredited early learning facilities in Collier County, opening in 1964.
Watch Immokalee Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
Children learn, play, eat, sleep, interact with others and even receive dental, vision and hearing screenings there.
These are things their parents cannot afford, but are vital to a child's development.
Dowdy said around 300 kids are on the center's wait list every year, and each year they admit 50 to 60 new students.
However, he said, this past year 90 children aged off the list and started kindergarten.
"Unfortunately, because of the lack of space about 50% of the community still goes unserved...they didn't have any preparation," Dowdy said.
The solution: raise $2.25 million before June 30, 2025 that will pay for 45 new spots for children at the center. It will also allow them to improve the curriculum, add more outdoor space, hire more staff, and update the building.
"Each child warms my heart to know we're able to say, 'yes', and we have less children aging out of our wait list is why I do what I do," Dowdy said.
Every child is on a scholarship, so families only pay $90 a month, which the organization says is more affordable on a farm working or service industry salary.
Development Director Jacqueline Ferrigno Brown said even if a child comes from a low income background.
"The family still has the same hopes and goals for their children, so I think...providing early education, provide them access to things that they may not be able to have gives us hope for the future," she said.
With six months to go, the PEECI said they're halfway to their $2.25 million goal and will have community events in the new year to raise money.
"We believe until every child is served we haven't done our job," Dowdy said.
With the hope of giving every child a jump start to success.
