ALAMOSA — After years of gathering data, planning, networking, pitching, applying for grants, and building a strong foundation of community support, a major milestone was celebrated Tuesday evening with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new early childhood learning center on the property of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley (BGCSLV).
Aaron Miltenberger, BGCSLV president and CEO, and Shirley Valdez, CEO of the Early Childhood Council of the San Luis Valley, largely spearheaded the project alongside, as described by Miltenberger, “a collaborative effort of 19 different prospective partners, including employers, childcare providers, school districts, higher education, junior colleges, and government partners”, forming a coalition of supporters from across the Valley.
“That’s one of the things that makes this project so cool,” he told the large crowd of local officials, civic leaders and public supporters.
“We knew there was a need, but we didn’t understand how significant it was,” he said. “Right now, there are 4,000 early childhood eligible children ages zero to six. If affordability and transportation were not an issue, there’d only be room for three out of ten. Seven out of ten kids don’t have a quality place to be. That is not okay. Those numbers get worse when we talk about infants to toddlers. That number is nine out of ten.”
Once completed, the center will have capacity for 160 children, ages 0 – 6. “We know that won’t fill the need but it’s a significant step toward a valley wide solution.”
The project's cost is $9 million with $6.4 million already raised.
“It’s going to take individual contributions. It’s going to take local corporations. It’s going to take businesses to get us over that last hump,” Miltenberger told the crowd. “It’s going to take every nickel, dime and penny to get to that place.”
And there is every confidence that the goal will be met. “I just wrote a one million dollar check for a steel building.”
When later asked for a date when ground will be broken for the facility, Miltenberger told the Valley Courier, “We have to complete a phase one environmental assessment that we must complete prior to beginning construction. The steel building will sit off-site until the requirements are cleared, which will be as early as mid-October. “
The early childhood center will be “best in class," as evidenced by a description of the facility that includes four infant/toddler classrooms, three pre-k classrooms, three mixed aged classrooms, ten classroom outside areas, six observation rooms, a kitchen, two playgrounds, a child sick room, a parent resource room, pollinator garden, atrium/common area, a vestibule, a director’s office and other amenities.
Benefits of the facility also extend past high-quality childcare in a high-quality center as it will create 40 jobs that pay “livable wages.”
