RANGELEY — The Skowhegan Savings Bank’s Charitable Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to the construction of the Beth Brunswick Memorial Childcare Center in Rangeley.

The $3.5 million project, being built to accommodate 48 preschool children, is anticipated to break ground this fall. A project of the Beth Brunswick Memorial Fund, the idea of the center was sparked by a community member, the late Beth Brunswick, who saw the need for the creation of a full-service child development center to serve the region’s growing need.

“The Rangeley area has a dire need for additional childcare facilities and early childhood learning programs,” Ellen Oppenheim, chairperson of Beth Brunswick Memorial Fund’s board of directors, said in a Skowhegan Savings news release.

“Currently there are fewer than 20 early child care slots available and approximately 50 children under the age of five living in the town of Rangeley. None of the existing programs currently accept Maine state childcare subsidies that make childcare significantly more affordable for working families.”

Two recent surveys, conducted by the Beth Brunswick Memorial Fund, found that 83% of respondents would enroll their children if a new licensed child care option was available and more affordable.

The construction of the child care center will be funded primarily by grants and donations from the community. It will include an additional classroom for other programming needs, such as wraparound care for public preschool programs.