Some Erie families are struggling to find childcare equipped to meet their child’s needs. Now, a new center is stepping in.

A celebration years in the making, Dreambuilders officially cutting the ribbon on its Early Learning Center on West 18th Street.

But the reason behind those doors is much bigger than a new childcare center.

“We were working in childcare centers where children were getting expelled from because their behaviors were intense or the ratios were too high for the staff to safely and appropriately support them. They were losing their placements and families were looking for alternatives, and there were no alternatives because there weren’t any centers like this in Erie.” Emily Wachter, the founder and board president of Dreambuilders Network said.

The nonprofit says it kept seeing children with special needs lose their childcare placements because their behaviors or needs required more support than traditional staffing ratios could safely provide.

And for their families, finding somewhere else to go wasn’t easy.

So Dreambuilders decided to create one.

The center serves children from 12 months through five years old, providing more individualized support for their educational, social and emotional needs.

Seven weeks into the program, four classrooms are now open.

But even with those doors open, the need hasn’t gone away.

“For families on the waitlist, this isn’t just childcare. It’s finding a place where their child can finally get the support they need.” Stephanie Logue reported.

Dreambuilders says families are facing waitlists for services and supports, while other programs they need don’t exist yet.

“There’s a lot of programs that aren’t happening, a lot of supports that families need that aren’t available or aren’t even created yet. So we’re looking to always fill in the gaps of services.” Wachter said.

And reaching more of those children takes funding.

While they are thankful they are starting to be seen and the word is spreading, they share their mission has just begun to give families the support they need. The founder for Dreambuilders also said families are starting to know about these services, but the need is growing.

With children waiting for services, the nonprofit says more funding is needed to expand programs and reach more families.