The Owensboro Family YMCA has secured $6.6 million in federal funding to build a new child care facility in Owensboro, a project that leaders say will add space for approximately 150 children.
The funding was announced by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and is included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, which passed the U.S. Senate and is awaiting final approval from the president. The Owensboro project is part of more than $50 million in economic development funding secured statewide through the legislation. The local allocation is designated specifically for the construction of a new YMCA-operated child care center.
Tom Bontrager, CEO of the Owensboro Family YMCA, said the project began more than a year ago after the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce approached the YMCA about addressing child care shortages in the area.
“The chamber came to us and asked, ‘Would you like to write a new earmark for this child care center?’” Bontrager said. “Mayor Tom Watson, the City Commission, and the Chamber — including former Chamber President Candance Castlen Brake — were really supportive of it, so they went to McConnell’s office and got it put in the bill.”
Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said, “Having access to childcare is a significant challenge facing working families and impacting business across the nation. This funding will directly change lives and support business, all at the same time.”
Bontrager said the funding is expected to cover construction costs, land acquisition and startup expenses, including furnishings and equipment required under state child care regulations.
A specific site has not yet been selected. Bontrager said the YMCA will meet with the City of Owensboro and Kentucky Wesleyan College, a longtime partner of the YMCA, to determine the best location.
Bontrager said no construction timeline has been finalized, noting that federal approvals and board action are still required. He said the next steps include completing required federal paperwork and setting a project timeline following an upcoming YMCA board meeting.
Also yet to be determined is the age group the new facility will serve, but Bontrager said families can expect the same services and level of care currently offered.
The new facility would add to the YMCA’s recent child care expansions. Over the past two years, the organization has increased capacity from about 70 children to more than 160 through renovations and a new building that is expected to open in the coming weeks. Once the new facility is completed, total YMCA child care capacity could exceed 300 children.
Bontrager said demand continues to exceed available slots. The YMCA had approximately 40 children on its waiting list at the start of the year, and previous expansions filled quickly without advertising.
“We didn’t do an ad. We didn’t market it. We literally spoke with [Owensboro Times for a story],” Bontrager said. “We are currently 40 kids sitting on the waitlist.”
Bontager said the continued growth would not be possible without community support, from individuals to foundations to political leaders.
“It’s been stunning to me, in a good way, that people saw a problem, and everybody came together to try to fix it,” he said. “There’s been so many hands on this. It’s just unbelievable where we are now.”
By Ryan Richardson The Owensboro Times