CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Boys and Girls Club of Coastal Bend is expanding to Flour Bluff.
Last May, the non-profit bought an abandoned building with plans to completely transform it into their new early childhood learning center. Less than a year later that plan came true.
The non-profit has turned a 5,000 square foot building into an early learning center for children ages newborn to five years old.
Vice president of organizational development Ralph Silva says the idea for the new facility started a few years ago when the board of directors found that there was a need for daycare facilities in the coastal bend.
"Families needed daycare for their children but weren't able to provide that due to the limited number of daycares in the area. They felt that purchasing a building and opening an early learning center would help meet that demand," Silva said.
The non-profit will have around fifteen staff members at the new facility that will make up their teaching team. They'll provide what Silva says will be quality education that includes a Pre-K curriculum.
“We want to target their cognitive skills, language and communication skills. Our goal is to build that foundation for the children so they can be ready and equipped when they begin public school,” he said.
Parents can expect to pay $750 a month for their child's education and care at the new early childhood learning center.
This is a price that Nancy Vera with the American Federation of Teachers says can alleviate some stress for parents who may be looking for a place for their child to learn.
"I think what the Boys and Girls Club is doing is phenomenal and I applaud them for their efforts," Vera said. “It's expensive to have children these days. Giving families a break in terms of the decreased amount they're charging at the early childhood centers is fantastic.”
The Boys and Girls Club will be hosting a ribbon cutting of the new facility next week where anyone interested in sending their child to the new learning center can take a tour of the facility.
Enrollment for the center is now open and classes start on April 2.
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