First-of-its-kind childcare center opens inside Grand Rapids transit hub

By Brian McVicar | MLive (TNS)

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Once-vacant space at Rapid Central Station has been transformed into an early childhood center where up to 100 children will receive high-quality, affordable care at the same transit hub where their parents can catch the bus to work.

On Monday, community leaders marked the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $9.8 million project, which includes nine classrooms, an indoor playroom and two outdoor playgrounds — one of them located on the building’s rooftop.

“For parents who rely on public transportation, access to childcare can be one of the biggest barriers to employment and stability,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “This center removes that barrier, placing high-quality, affordable care exactly where families already are.”

The Kellogg Foundation contributed $5.9 million to the project, which spans three floors at Rapid Central Station, 50 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW. Officials say the project is Michigan’s first childcare center located within a bus station.

Scheduled to open in September, the center will be operated by the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. It will employ 22 staff members and serve children from birth to age 5 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Speakers at Monday’s ceremony said the project reflects “out-of-the-box” thinking, designed to address transportation and childcare challenges for families at a time of rising affordability concerns.

A 2023 survey of 470 Rapid riders with children found that 70% would be interested in enrolling their children in the program. Among those surveyed, 91% cited cost as the most important factor in choosing childcare, while 94% said proximity to transit was important or very important.

“This center demonstrates that transit systems can play a key role in development and a broader role in the community,” said Deb Prato, CEO of The Rapid. “This is a game changer. This is out of the box thinking.”

The Rapid serves six cities — Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Walker, Kentwood, Grandville and Wyoming — which contribute property tax funding to the bus system.

The childcare center, which is now accepting applications, is opening amid high demand for childcare. According to the Kellogg Foundation, the Grand Rapids area faces a shortage of more than 7,000 childcare seats.

Heather Walczewski, executive director of childcare for the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, said Rapid riders will receive priority access to the center’s 100 available seats.

“We know childcare is a huge need in our community, and we have extensive waitlists at our other locations,” she said. “We expect these spots to fill quickly, but we’re prioritizing access for families who rely on transit.”

The YMCA is operating the childcare center in partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools and Head Start for Kent County.

Seventy-five of the project’s 100 seats will include public funding and scholarships to preserve affordability, according to the Kellogg Foundation. Without financial assistance, weekly tuition would range from $305 to $370, depending on the child’s age, according to the YMCA.

During Monday’s event, state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D- Grand Rapids, spoke about the importance of investing in early childhood education.

“Early childhood education lays the foundation for lifelong success and wellness, cultivating resilience, problem-solving skills, emotional regulation, and school readiness,” she said. “And over time, that translates into a higher likelihood of graduating high school and college, earning higher wages, living a healthier lifestyle, and contributing to society in a beneficial way.”

The idea for the childcare center dates back years.

About a decade ago, Tracie Coffman, a program officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, was at a meeting at The Rapid for the Kent County Essential Needs Taskforce when a staff member suggested Central Station as a site for a childcare center.

Coffman said she “held onto that idea.”

In 2022, while serving on The Rapid’s board, she revisited the idea after learning earlier plans for the space — now occupied by the childcare center — had fallen through. “I texted my team from a board meeting when Deb said it was going to become available,” she said.

Funding for the project came from a broad coalition of philanthropic, corporate and community partners, anchored by the Kellogg Foundation. Other donors included the Wege Foundation, Steelcase Foundation and members of the DeVos family.

Securing funding wasn’t the only challenge.

Coffman said receiving the required regulatory approvals from the state’s Child Care Licensing Bureau and the Bureau of Fire Services took longer than expected.

“Whenever you’re using a building that was not designed for childcare, it just takes a lot of work with the state to make sure we’re meeting the regulations that fire and licensing want to ensure that this building is secure for children,” she said. “That took more time and negotiation than what we thought it would because we were setting precedents that they just hadn’t seen before.”

The result of those precedents is a space that blends safety, learning and design. Classrooms feature books, toys and new technology, including smart boards. Layouts are tailored to children’s developmental stages.

Walczewski said planners were deliberate in designing each space to support early learning. “We spent a lot of time and intentional energy around what are we going to do for the preschool kids to make sure that they’re kindergarten ready,” she said.

The design extends outdoors, with a ground-level playground for infants and toddlers and a rooftop play area for older children. Wolverine Building Group managed construction, while Pure Architects handled the design.

Former Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalyn Bliss, who was in office when work on the project began, applauded the range of partners behind the effort.

“This project did something that many have not — it harnessed this incredible cross sector of organizations and philanthropy to form strong partnerships to make this dream a reality,” she said. “To every single one of you in this room that were a part of that, I say thank you.”

______

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC

Visit mlive.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Daily News Briefing