Orange Coast College has been awarded the...

Orange Coast College has been awarded the largest cash gift in its history. The $500,000 donated by the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation will be used for a new children’s center on campus.

“The Steele Foundation has been extremely supportive of Orange Coast College over the past decade, and we’re very grateful for this latest gift,” said David A. Grant, president of Orange Coast College.

Officials said about $1.95 million has been raised for the $2.2-million project.

The children’s center provides affordable child care to low-income students, said Doug Bennett, executive director of the Orange Coast Foundation.

Currently, the center is housed in several buildings on campus.

“The gift guarantees that we will be able to build our new center. We’re assured that it’s all going to happen,” said Lucy Groetsch, director of the college’s children’s center.

The new building is designed to look like a series of attached beach cottages all under one roof, officials said. Construction is expected to begin in the next year, near Merrimac Way on the southern edge of campus.

The facility will have six classrooms, an expansive living room and kitchen area, faculty offices, an art studio, and a large play yard, officials said.

The center is licensed by the California Department of Social Services and is monitored by the Department of Education. It operates year-round, serving nearly 150 students every semester, Bennett said.

During the school year, the center provides day care for children ages 6 months to 6 years old. In summer, the center provides child care for children up to age 12.