Underwood seeks federal funding for NIU’s Child Development and Family Center

DeKALB – The Northern Illinois University Child Development and Family Center in DeKalb could get a boost thanks to U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Underwood, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, submitted 15 projects for the 14th Illinois Congressional District worth $26 million for to aid community projects in her district in fiscal 2025, according to a news release from her office.

“Our families will feel the enormous impact of these 15 projects every day,” Underwood said in a provided statement. “We’re making sure our drinking water is clean and safe across northern Illinois; strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities, providing parents affordable childcare options, and so much more.”

One of those projects is NIU’s Education for Parents Project, which would remodel and convert university property into what Underwood’s office described as “a significantly larger child care center.”

Currently, the NIU Child Development and Family Center provides day care services from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, according to the university. The center cares for children as young as 3 months and up to 5 years old. It has three infant classrooms, three toddler classrooms, two classrooms for 2-year-olds, and four preschool classrooms.

Underwood is seeking $1 million in federal funding in the fiscal 2026 budget for an expansion of that center. Her office wrote that the project funding would go toward a learning space renovation, the hiring of new employees, classroom painting and roof, drainage, window and flooring repairs.

In a news release, Underwood’s office said projects that were selected for community project funding in fiscal 2025 were not included in a funding bill passed by Congress earlier this year. The majority of those projects were resubmitted for fiscal 2026, however.

Underwood said she looks forward to working with legislators on Capitol Hill to secure funding for projects in her district.

“Making sure that our community’s needs are reflected in federal funding has always been a top priority of mine in Washington,” Underwood said.