Angela Lensch named Growing Hope director

Angela Lensch has been named director of Growing Hope, New Hope’s day care program set to open in 2023.

“We are excited to have Angela join our team and pave the way for Growing Hope to open its doors to the community later this year,” said Steve Kopecky, New Hope CEO. “We’ve been working on the creation of this on-campus day care and child education center for quite some time, and with Angela aboard, we’re able to finalize all of the details and make Growing Hope a reality to benefit many.”

New Hope began working on the creation of an on-campus day care program in early 2022. With an employee advisory committee created, New Hope managements team surveyed employees regarding current needs, talked with local business partners and analyzed the viability of such a program. In summer 2022, New Hope confirmed its intent to proceed with opening an on-campus day care program. The program has been officially named Growing Hope.

“Growing Hope really helps emphasize our mission of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities by opening the doors now to children with disabilities, as well as providing an additional benefit to our employees with children,” explains Kopecky. Growing Hope will provide day care services for children ages 6 months to 12 years old, and will be all-inclusive, offering day care for children with disabilities too.

Angela Lensch has more than 20 years of experience as an educator, having taught at all age levels, including pre-K, elementary, middle and high school. She is certified, has a master of education and a master’s in education-curriculum. Previously, she’s worked with Your Own Head Start, out of Fort Dodge, IKM-Manning Community Schools and Denison Job Corps Center.

Growing Hope will be a licensed day care center, offering full-time, part-time and drop-in services for up to 75 children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years old. The center will be open 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. to provide child care assistance for area employees working various shifts. New Hope employees will receive discounted child care if they enroll their child(ren) at Growing Hope, and the center will also be open to serve all families of the Carroll and surrounding communities. Current statistics indicate that Carroll County is in a child care desert, with 3,504 children ages 0-12 needing child care and only 1,157 child care spaces available.

Growing Hope will be located on New Hope’s main campus, 1211 E. 18th Street, inside the east wing of the Activity Building.

Individuals interested in applying for employment with Growing Hope, or being added to the Growing Hope child care wait list, can contact Angela Lensch, Growing Hope director, at angela_lensch@newhopevillage.org or (712) 792-0997, extension 277.