Writer: DAVID E. MALLOY
Huntington Herald-Dispatch

ASHLAND -- Growing pains at Ashland Community and Technical College are prompting a $3.2 million fundraising campaign to built a new Child Development Center for the growing student body at the College Drive campus in Ashland.

"Fulfilling the Promise" is the name of the campaign to raise $850,000 for a two-story, child-care center on Ramey Street across the road from the main campus. Faculty, staff and private efforts already have raised $2.3 million, said Dr. Greg Adkins, ACTC president.

In addition to the day-care center, campaign funds will be used for faculty endowments, scholarships and science and technology improvements, said John McGlone, an ACTC spokesman.

"I'm so excited about the new day-care center," said Mary Shortridge a public speaking and interpersonal communications instructor who picked her grandson up from the existing day-care center late Thursday afternoon. "I hope they get it (built) so he can use it."

The day-care center is a tremendous benefit to staff and nontraditional students attending the college, Shortridge said.

"I was really worried about finding a good day-care center," she said. "They are a wonderful day care."

Adkins said the college needs the space taken up by the day-care center for classrooms. Classroom space on the first floor of the main building was converted for the day care. But the college has been growing and now has about 4,000 students, most of them nontraditional students, he said.

A new child-care center "is our most pressing need," he said. "We need that space. We already own the property." The existing child-care center will remain open until the new one is built, Adkins said.

Guy Spriggs, co-chair of the fundraising campaign, said with the help of the college's Foundation Board, "we will reach this goal. We have $900,000 to go. We can't do this without a lot of community support."

Frank E. Salisbury, ACTC director, advancement, said if fundraising efforts go well, construction on the new day-care center could begin this year.

The existing day-care center serves about 40 children from 6 months to the age of 5. It is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.