When Maggie Monroe-Cassel saw her childhood church in upstate New York fall apart, she made a quiet promise. One day, she would help keep a community space alive. Decades later, she got her chance.
The Well Collaborative, a nonprofit that took over the First Congregational Church on Pleasant Street in Claremont, brought Monroe-Cassel on board to help revitalize the building. With a background in clergy work and experience at organizations like Habitat for Humanity and TLC Family Resource Center, the 70-year-old retiree got to work. Eventually, she secured a $1 million grant to transform the space into a hub with a community kitchen, child care facility, and public meeting area.
Her organization wasn’t alone. In December, The Well Collaborative joined two Keene-based programs — Keene Day Care Center and Rise For Baby and Family — in receiving more than $2 million in total funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission. This federal-state partnership supports business retention, tourism, and public infrastructure in some of the most economically distressed counties across New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.
“You don’t have to do some data-driven study to look at a post-industrial town and know it needs decent, safe, affordable housing, transportation, child care, and businesses,” Monroe-Cassel said.
A church finds new purpose in Claremont
The Well Collaborative received $821,000 from the federal government. Monroe-Cassel is now working to finalize the remaining funds through another organization.
Finding the grant wasn’t easy, though. Programs like the Northern Border Regional Commission often fly under the radar. Many people don’t know they exist, and those who do must navigate strict qualification standards and confusing application language. In fact, all three New Hampshire recipients learned about the opportunity through word of mouth.
Monroe-Cassel discovered it almost by accident. During a winter craft event at the church in 2023, she met someone who knew Claremont’s former mayor. That connection led to a suggestion to apply. Typically, churches don’t qualify for federal grants like these. However, under the second Trump administration, the rules shifted.
“I never thought we would really get it,” she said. “I spent hours and hours of my life doing pre-application, and we got through that process.”
The renovation plan is ambitious. The former sermon hall will become a weather-friendly public space for seminars, music, and community events. Workers will modernize the existing kitchen into a commercial cooking space for small businesses. Meanwhile, the basement will become an ADA-friendly child care or preschool center.
When the church still operated, a small program licensed for 15 children ran upstairs. After getting the basement pre-screened by the Child Care Licensing Unit, Monroe-Cassel learned it could serve up to 35 kids. Still, the renovation faces one major hurdle: the basement lacks proper egress.
While funding goes through finalization, vendors already use the space for yoga, sound baths, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and small gatherings. Monroe-Cassel appreciates the progress but keeps things in perspective.
“We’re a piece of that puzzle, but us alone will not provide the incentive for people to move to Claremont,” she said.
A broken furnace sparks a bigger plan in Keene
Over in Keene, executive director Suelaine Pooling didn’t set out to land an $893,000 grant. Originally, she just wanted to fix a broken furnace.
Child care programs like Keene Day Care Center typically run on thin margins. High operating costs leave little room for major repairs, especially in buildings that weren’t designed for young children. The center’s building dates back to 1940, and its infrastructure shows every year of age.
When a company quoted more than $25,000 to repair the old furnace, Pooling reached out to a parent at the center. That parent happened to direct the Southwest Region Planning Commission. He told her about the Northern Border grant and helped with the application.
“It grew out of a random need,” Pooling said. “Because we don’t have that kind of money.”
Together with additional funding from the Community Development Finance Authority, the grant will cover a $1.8 million project. The goal is to preserve and expand affordable child care in Cheshire County — starting with facility upgrades and new hires.
Solving the staffing puzzle
Staffing remains one of the biggest challenges in early education. Without enough teachers, programs can’t enroll more children because of legally required staff-to-child ratios. At the same time, programs can’t afford to hire more staff without the revenue that additional enrollment brings. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break.
During the pandemic, Keene Day Care Center lost 25% of its staff to higher-paying fields. As a consequence, enrollment dropped from 90 to about 70 children. The center has operated at that reduced capacity since 2023.
This grant changes the equation. It will allow the center to hire entry-level teachers and train them over three years — without needing to add more students right away. New hires will learn alongside experienced professionals in a less stressful environment. Throughout the three-year period, they’ll receive on-the-job training, professional development, mentoring, and encouragement to pursue early education certifications.
“Our best technique is to get people here and develop that love, the passion for the profession,” Pooling said. “Right now, our hurdle is that we just don’t have enough lead teachers to fully open all our classrooms.”
Recruiting won’t be simple, though. The number of early education professionals entering the field has declined over the past decade. On the bright side, Keene State University sits just down the road. Pooling said the center will “try whatever way we can” to find and grow new talent.
Rise For Baby and Family takes on professional development
For the training side of things, Pooling plans to partner with Rise for Baby and Family. This Keene-based organization received over $288,000 from the same Northern Border grant. Rise will use those funds to mentor and coach child care providers, with a focus on inclusivity and classroom training.
“We want to continue supporting statewide and regional efforts around teacher professional development,” said executive director Alicia Deaver. “That means helping teachers support all children in care — including those with special needs.”
Building upgrades to match the mission
Beyond staffing, the Keene Day Care Center grant will also fund critical building improvements. A new HVAC system and windows will make the facility more energy efficient. Currently, the heating system can’t keep up with New Hampshire winters. At the same time, the building lacks air conditioning for hot summer months — a source of ongoing complaints from both parents and staff.
Additionally, the center will install a new sprinkler system. New Hampshire requires sprinklers in child care facilities unless the building predates a certain construction year. Keene Day Care Center is technically “grandfathered in” and doesn’t need one. Even so, Pooling said the lack of a system has slowed down other construction projects.
After the local fire chief’s “eyes lit up” at the idea, and the insurance company backed it, Pooling made it a priority.
“If we focus on improving the health, safety, and comfort level of our building, that becomes a retention tool,” she said. “It benefits not only the staff, but also the children.”
What comes next
Although the grant awards landed at the end of last year, all three programs are still working through the final steps to receive their funding. Construction and hiring timelines vary, but all three projects are scheduled for completion by 2029.
