The University of Notre Dame plans to begin construction next year on a new on-site facility to provide child care for faculty, staff and students with children between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 years old.

In addition, the University has increased the adoption credit for faculty and staff from $3,000 per adoption to a maximum of $7,500 and has developed centralized resources for all family services, including a new family services consultant in Notre Dame Human Resources.

Growing out of the recommendations of a faculty and staff committee charged with looking at child care assistance opportunities, the new facility will open in summer 2025 and be operated by KinderCare, the nation’s largest child care and early education provider. The center will be located on the north edge of campus near White Field, adjacent to Beichner Hall and The Landings at Notre Dame apartments.

The Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDC) at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College will continue to offer early childhood programs for children age 2 through kindergarten and will work in collaboration with KinderCare.

These enhancements to family support for employees and students were championed by the University’s three executive leaders — President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.; John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost; and Executive Vice President Shannon Cullinan.

“ECDC has provided superb programs for children of Notre Dame faculty, staff and students for more than 50 years, and we will continue to offer this benefit to families,” Father Jenkins said. “With the construction of the new facility and a partnership with KinderCare, Notre Dame will extend its support for families by offering care for infants and young children. We are pleased and proud to offer this additional assistance to our employees, our students and their families.”

KinderCare has provided day care and early childhood education for more than 50 years and currently partners with several universities. In addition to the new facility, through the partnership between Notre Dame and KinderCare, University employees can receive a 10 percent savings at KinderCare centers nationwide.

“We don’t underestimate the importance of child care benefits for working families,” Dan Figurski, president of KinderCare Learning Companies for Employers and Champions, said. “That’s why we’re excited to work with Notre Dame to provide high-quality early childhood care and education to their families.”

ECDC, with its first location established on the Saint Mary’s campus and its second at Notre Dame, will work in collaboration with KinderCare as it continues to provide programming and education to employees’ children from age 2 through kindergarten during the school year and ages 2 through 10 during the summer.

“We welcome KinderCare to the Notre Dame campus. Infant care is greatly needed in our community, and we are pleased that the University continues to support families’ needs for quality early childhood care and education. We look forward to continuing our mission to provide the community with high-quality accredited preschool and kindergarten programs at our two ECDC campus sites,” Kari Alford, executive director of ECDC, said.