ST. LOUIS (KMOX)- St. Louis County Police Department announced plans Tuesday to establish a childcare and early childhood education center.
The center will focus on providing flexible, high-quality childcare solutions and will be designed to cater to the unconventional schedules of police officers, ensuring that their children have access to top-tier educational and care services.
The department says the childcare center will play a crucial role in recruiting and retaining police officers within the county.
Due to safety concerns, the department will not announce where the site of the center will be.
The facility will cost somewhere between $1.5- 2 million a year to run, according to Jim Mackay CEO of the National Law Enforcement Foundation who spoke to KMOX.
Funding for the project will be a public/private partnership, with the project spearheaded by National Law Enforcement Foundation and supported by the St. Louis Police Foundation, along with the Michael and Noémi Neidorff Family Foundation helping commit a "substantial private funding commitment".
“This partnership reflects our commitment to the welfare of our officers and their families,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Col. Kenneth L. Gregory in a release. “The Michael and Noémi Neidorff Family Foundation support is a pivotal step towards enhancing the quality of life for our police force and, by extension, our community."