CHEYENNE -- Efforts to build a large community child-care center here took a big step forward Thursday.

The Wyoming Business Council approved a $3 million grant for the Laramie County Early Childhood Education Center. The center would be built in the Cheyenne Business Parkway on land donated by Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County.

The council approved the Business Ready Grant at its meeting in Jackson.

The center will have 182 slots for children through age 5. The center will provide education to children and follow a planned curriculum.

The center will be open during evenings and weekends too.

The Early Childhood Education Center board provided a cash match of $88,000, which is only part of the money it plans to donate. Cheyenne LEADS will donate land worth an estimated $626,438.

Whether it moves ahead is up to the State Loan and Investment Board. The board -- made up of the top five elected officials in Wyoming -- will decide June 18.

The Business Council’s approval is a very positive step, said Rod Hottle of the Laramie County Early Education Partnership.

“What it means is that we’ve passed another hurdle. It’s one of the milestones that needed to be achieved. We’re still waiting for the next step to be completed,” he said.

The building project would stimulate jobs, said Laramie County Commissioner Jeff Ketcham. It will give the community an opportunity to bid on a project of such magnitude, he added.

The facility will provide an excellent opportunity for additional quality child care, he said.

The center would make a tremendous difference with providing quality early education opportunities, said Tim Thorson, Laramie County grants manager.

Full text available at Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online.