A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the project site at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Berta Velilla, CEO of MVCDC, said the organization aims to have students in the new building by spring 2025.
According to Velilla, the organization’s current four east Dayton locations are operated within leased, aging buildings. The Head Start grant project will accommodate students enrolled in these centers, allowing MVCDC to vacate the four decades-old facilities.
“These are spaces that were never designed to be early childhood facilities, and while the landlords have been wonderful to work with, the facilities need some upgrading,” Velilla said. “While our Stuart-Patterson, Bomberger/EDELC, Findlay and Twin Towers centers have been beloved neighborhood resources, our new facility will have specially designed, age-appropriate classrooms and more indoor and outdoor space,” Velilla said.
The new Lincoln Hill Early Learning Center will be comprised of 14 classrooms, including nine for preschoolers and five for infants and toddlers, with the capacity to serve up to 250 students.
While Velilla said the new center will increase enrollment numbers slightly, the main goal with the project has always been to provide quality facilities to families in an area of Dayton which has historically lacked access to sufficient affordable, high-quality childcare, she said.
“This will be a dedicated space for the east Dayton community and our primary purpose is to have a better facility for these children,” Velilla said, adding that MVCDC will work with local partners to offer additional resources for families experiencing poverty.
Additional financial supporters for the Lincoln Hill facility include Montgomery County, the city of Dayton, Dayton-Montgomery County Preschool Promise, and the Dayton Foundation.
“We are excited to support the new MVCDC preschool building in east Dayton, where we know there is a need for high-quality preschool,” said Preschool Promise CEO Robyn Lightcap.
The nearly 3-acre site, located on the corner of Nassau Street and Demphle Avenue in the Twin Towers neighborhood, is situated just south of the Mission of Mary Cooperative’s Lincoln Hill Gardens.
The University of Dayton Hanley Sustainability Institute partnered with East End Community Services, which owns the site, and Mission of Mary in 2016 to develop that urban farm.
MVCDC will work with East End Community Services to link families with educational and community resources to assist with financial independence. MVCDC will partner with Mission of Mary and UD’s Hanley Institute to curate educational opportunities for Lincoln Hill students to learn about urban gardening, cooking and nutrition.
“We think this is going to be a very strong collaboration,” Velilla said. “These organizations are doing great work and we’re excited to strengthen that and to have a beautiful space for those opportunities. ... We’ll be able to learn about sustainability by involving the community and the kids in exploration of the gardens and science,” Velilla said.
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