NORWICH – Commerce Chenango and its sister organization, the Chenango Industrial Development Agency, are forging ahead with plans to bring an early learning center to downtown Norwich – the first of its kind in 20 years.

The IDA, in conjunction with the City of Norwich, says it’s now in the process of verifying details of a $1 million Restore New York Communities grant that was awarded to the city in May, and it’s working with engineers on building specifications for a childcare center. The IDA says it hopes to know more details in about a month.

At the same time, The Place, the nonprofit organization selected to oversee the learning center, is working with state officials to ensure it meets all the required licensing criteria of a childcare facility.

“New York State wants this center open by the fall of next year. It’s a pretty aggressive timeline,” said Commerce Chenango President and CEO Sal Testani. “There’s a lot of things for us to figure out.”

State grants, which are being funneled through Empire State Development to the City of Norwich, will fund the installment of a childcare center on the ground floor of Commerce Chenango’s two-story building headquarters at 23 E. Main St., as well as $300,000 for renovations to the second floor for Commerce Chenango operations.

Officials say the center will allow for up to 46 children under the age of 3, offering respite from the county’s childcare desert. It will offer full-time early learning care with no building overhead cost, allowing for more focus on programming and staff.

Because state funding is a reimbursement grant and the IDA is the financial sponsor, there are still unanswered questions about how the project will be initially financed. The state is also requiring a 10 percent match from the IDA.

Nevertheless, the IDA is planning the next step of generating a request for proposal (RFP) for general contractors to submit their bid for building renovations. Testani is urging the IDA board to assemble a building team composed of members of the Chenango IDA, the City of Norwich, and The Place to track investments.

“At this stage, we want to pay particular attention to the necessary agreements being put in place, and when, before we start to incur investments,” said IDA Chair RC Woodford.

In 2024, the Preferred Mutual Insurance Company sold the building at a reduced price in support of the childcare center initiative. The IDA purchased the property while Commerce Chenango agreed to lease the space for a financially sustainable business model that could support a childcare center. The center’s location is ideal due to its close proximity to downtown employers.


Commerce Chenango is already supporting efforts to replicate the project in neighboring communities like Sherburne, New Berlin, and Greene.