“It is with great pride that the staff and board of directors of The Children’s Center invite the public to the ribbon-cutting at 2 pm, followed by tours of our new childcare center on Sunday, Nov. 13, until 4 pm at 306 S. Vine in Jefferson,” said Cherie Cerveny, director of the center.
“It is a dream come true to actually have our own building, designed for early childhood care and development,” said Cerveny. “Community members made this building possible and we want them to see it. Support from the Greene County Schools, Grow Greene County, Greene County supervisors, banks, industries, businesses, organizations, families and individuals, all of the donors, made the dream a reality. We are so grateful for all of the support.”
“The most important part of this project is that we can serve more children in a space designed for them and their needs,” Cerveny continued. “We are already experiencing increased interest by families in enrolling which means we will need more staff. We welcome all those interested in care or in employment to contact us at The Children’s Center, 515-386-2092.”
Those who choose to tour the building will get to see the seven classrooms for children ages 2 weeks through fourth grade, kitchen, sanitizing room where toys are cleaned and laundry done, lactation room, offices and staff areas, and take a peek at the generator that will power the building in the case of outages.
The playground for the youngest children is partially completed on the west side of the building awaiting equipment due to arrive early next year and surfacing with all being installed next spring.
Phase 2 of the project will be the playground for children 3 and older which will be on the south end of the building. “We expect to proceed with this phase as soon as the area is cleared and prepped. Some additional funds may be necessary to complete the playground as it was not part of the original contract,” Cerveny said.
Formerly the Greene County Early Learning Center, the non-profit center has been in operation since 2005 and in rented spaces, primarily in buildings owned by Greene County Community School District.
The Ambassadors of the Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community will participate in the event. Brief remarks will precede the ribbon cutting.
