Construction on the Early Learning Campus at Madison College’s Goodman South location is set to begin this month.  

The new $10 million facility will fulfill a promise to bring child care to the South Madison Community and enable the college to expand its early childhood education program. 

The college celebrated the project’s latest milestone with a special event at the Goodman South Campus in early December.  

Now retired Madison College President Dr. Jack E. Daniels spoke at the event and said when the Goodman South Campus opened in 2019, there was something missing – child care. 

“Now is the time to bridge the child care gap for our students,” Daniels said. “Madison College its outstanding partners look forward to continuing to be a part of the solution as we present innovative initiatives like this Early Learning Campus.  

“This step forward is not just about supporting education; it’s about fostering sustainable futures, enhancing lives, and serving our community for generations to come.” 

The new Early Learning Campus is scheduled to open in January 2026. It will be licensed to provide care for 75 to 86 children ages six weeks to five years. It will also provide space and opportunities for students in the early childhood education program to teach and care for the children. 

The two-story building will include eight classrooms, a kitchen, a multipurpose room, teacher work space and a collaboration space for the early childhood education program. 

Several community partners helped make the project possible. The City of Madison provided its support with the $1 sale of the fire station adjacent to the campus. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development provided $1.45 million in funding through its Early Education Grant. 

Other funding for the project was provided by: 

• $1.8 million of the college’s Workforce Innovation Grant.
• $2 million from the Roots & Wings Foundation.
• $1 million from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.
• $250,000 from American Family Insurance.
• $150,000 from the Madison Community Foundation.

“The City of Madison is proud to be part of a coalition that recognized a critical need for the community and worked together to provide a solution,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. “Lack of affordable child care shouldn’t be a barrier to success for any family in Madison. The opening of this new facility brings us closer to achieving that goal.”