Boston Square Embraces the Future: New ECE Center Nurtures Young Minds and Empowers Families June 25, 2025

Affordable, quality ECE is a crucial component of strong communities, establishing a foundation for healthy growth and development among young learners that benefits families and their communities. That foundation was strengthened this month in the Boston Square neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the opening of the Boston Square Early Learning Center (BSQ-ELC) represents a bold investment in the collective future of those who call the community home.

In addition to providing an environment where children can flourish, develop curiosity, and acquire foundational skills, BSQ-ELC will empower families, strengthen the workforce, and ensure the next generation’s potential is fully realized.

“Having a strong, quality early learning center in a community benefits the entire community,” said Meg Derrer, executive director of the Refugee Education Center (REC), which will operate BSQ-ELC. “Having access to child care means families can stay in the workforce and maintain or improve their economic stability. They can also have the means to contribute more to the local economy.”

Developed by IFF, which also served as the owner’s representative during construction, the 9,000-square-foot facility offers new early childhood education (ECE) seats for 72 children – infant to 5 years old – and includes six classrooms, a gross motor room, staff wellness and lactation room, warming kitchen, and an outdoor play space. The center’s design reflects scalable practices on facility condition, green development, the comprehensive nature of programs, and financial and operational feasibility. Designed as a model that can be replicated in high-need communities across Michigan, BSQ-ELC is intended to serve as a teaching tool to help shape understanding of the relationship between facilities and programmatic quality and of culturally competent and viable operating models.

The $5.3 million BSQ-ELC project was developed with funding and financing from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, Frey Foundation, Amplify GR, and IFF. In addition to acting as the developer and owner’s representative, IFF provided $1.87 million in equity.

BSQ-ELC is a direct response to the need for additional quality child care options in southeast Grand Rapids, which was identified by Boston Square Together, a community-focused planning process, and in IFF’s 2018 research report, A System for All Children: An Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment in Grand Rapids. A follow-up study by IFF in 2023 showed some improvement, but significant need remained. Only 30 percent of children, infant to 5 years old, in the Grand Rapids area have access to quality child care, and for infant to 2-year-olds that number decreases to 14 percent.

In keeping with one of the study’s recommendations to locate child care near hubs of common activity like mass transit stations, commercial and shopping complexes, health care, and educational settings, BSQ-ELC is part of the larger Boston Square Community Hub development. A $25 million project led by Amplify GR, a nonprofit focused on the revitalization of southeast Grand Rapids, the hub also includes a coffee shop, coworking space, event space, community classrooms, offices, and the Corewell Health Center for Wellness, which opened in January 2025. By co-locating ECE with other community assets, the positive impact of the project will be amplified.

“We know that families need child care to be able to work,” said Derrer. “What we are providing goes beyond that, we’re creating an environment where the community can really rally around and improve lives. We look forward to working with community partners like Corewell Health in ways we can work together. We can use our voice to elevate their health care initiatives, amplify the importance of primary care for children, and educate parents on things that negatively impact a child’s development, like lead exposure. In return, Corewell can elevate our programs and services among neighbors. Health care, child care, and education are such crucial factors in providing a strong foundation for children and families.”

So, too, has the selection of REC as the ECE provider added to the positive impact of the BSQ-ELC on the Boston Square community. Selected through a rigorous process led by IFF and Amplify GR, REC is a learning-centric nonprofit focused on supporting refugees to become fully participating members of the West Michigan community. The organization focuses on three pillars: education, family stability, and belonging. Its programs help address health and safety crises, job loss, housing insecurity, and other life challenges. Having previously operated an ECE program for seven years, REC sees its relocation to Boston Square as an opportunity to expand existing partnerships and establish new ones that benefit the community.

“Our early learning program is open to all children, American-born and refugee,” said Tatum Hawkins, REC’s philanthropy director. “Providing opportunities for early exposure to different cultures is important and beneficial to each child’s development. Research shows that early exposure to varied cultures and experiences positively impacts a child’s social-emotional development and academic success. We provide an inclusive and supportive environment where every child can thrive.”

With the BSQ-ELC opening to students in September, REC is currently working to fill 20 new jobs created by the center and focusing its efforts hyper-locally to ensure that the new facility serves as an economic boost for local residents.

“It’s very important to us that teachers and staff reflect the community the kids are coming from,” said Derrer. “Many of the children in our programs live in Boston Square, so we’re excited for this opportunity to grow with the community.”

REC is working to ensure that the BSQ-ELC is an affordable child care option by implementing a tiered tuition model based on household income. Alongside tuition, REC will seek government funding and philanthropic support to help subsidize costs for eligible families.

To ensure the BSQ-ELC remains community-centric and serves as a long-term asset to the neighborhood, IFF will serve as the interim owner. This approach enables IFF to manage upfront risks, empowering REC to fully concentrate on developing and delivering high-quality programming for the children and families they serve, with the future option of assuming ownership of the facility.

“As interim owner, we are assuming some of the upfront risk to allow REC to focus on developing the foundation for a sustainable and long-lasting high-quality early learning environment,” said Chris Uhl, IFF executive director for the Eastern Region. “This project represents a significant investment in both the children and the future of the neighborhood. Every community should have access to high-quality early learning spaces that match the quality of the early education program – and that’s exactly what this center does.”

The ribbon cutting for the Boston Square Early Learning Center