A Watertown monastery has pledged to convert one of its buildings to a child care center as the community begins tackling the statewide child care crisis.
Watertown officials gathered Monday to announce the conversion of a portion of Harmony Hill from a Monastery to a 14,000-square-foot child care facility.
The center is set to be operated by Little Blessings daycare, an existing Watertown child care center that had reached its capacity.
Child care is an issue plaguing most cities and towns across the state. Watertown leaders said they need to figure out a solution for themselves.
Justin Manzey is the pastor of Family Worship Center and Little Blessings daycare.
“We did not want to close it, that’s not what our heart was. We have also known we have outgrown our space. So, in that process, in talking with sister Barb and Harmony Hill and everything that’s taking place there, we’ve come to a point where we see now, we are going to transition Little Blessings Daycare to Harmony Hill for the expansion,” said Manzey.
While Harmony Hill has the physical space to care for more children, the building is not ready to act as a child care facility.
Sister Barb Younger is an Assistant Prioresses for Mother of God Monastery. She said she and her sisters are willing to help.
“We have 14,000-square-foot of underutilized building that’s in great shape but it's not ready for kiddos. We have an architectural team that’s been working for the last few months diligently to see how we need to renovate this building," said Younger. "We have a cadre of consultants that have been in the child care business for quite some time and have given us great counsel on how to move forward. You have a commitment from us to see if we can make this transition and expansion a reality.”
Watertown Mayor Ried Holien said he will be reaching out to local business leaders in hopes they will help support the cost of renovation at Harmony Hill.
City officials said the project is just one step in a very long process of solving child care crisis in the city.
