RANDOLPH, Vt. (WCAX) - The state’s largest child care facility is coming to Randolph.

It’s project several years in the making that began after an assessment showed child care as one of the town’s top priorities.

The completed center will serve 88 kids 365 days a year and includes a preschool which officials say is rare for child care centers.

The project leader says the center will also help fill the area’s need for workers.

“During the pandemic, we saw women specifically leave the workforce in much higher numbers and they haven’t come back into the workforce, and one of those elements that’s driving that is lack of affordable and accessible child care,” said Erika Hoffman-Kiess of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation.

The project, a product of the Orange County Parent Child Center and the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation, will receive state, federal and local funding.

The center will be located just off Route 66, less than a minute from the exit ramp which leaders say is ideal for commuters.

It’s expected to be complete by next fall.