Thursday, September 18, 2008

Eastfield College to break ground on new Center for Child and Family Studies

By Pegasus News wire

Apparently all the users of the new center will have to drive Lexuses.

If you see dust in the air at Eastfield College, it is just the dirt being moved to begin construction of a 20,800-square-foot Center for Child and Family Studies.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility will be held on Wed., Sept. 24, at 1 p.m.; a reception will follow the ceremony. Representatives from the City of Mesquite, Mesquite Chamber of Commerce and neighboring chambers, the Mesquite Independent School District and area school districts, along with local organizations and churches, and other agencies with whom the Child Care Center has had long standing relationships, have been invited to attend.

The Center for Child and Family Studies, the new Learning Center, Workforce/Criminal Justice Center, and the Technology Center expansion -- all currently in various stages of construction on the Eastfield College campus -- are part of the Dallas County Community College District’s $450 million bond program, approved by voters in May 2004.

“The Center for Child and Family Studies will feature learning studios, as well as faculty offices and a state-of-the-art child care lab school,” said Dr. Lindle Grigsby, dean of Eastfield College workforce and economic development. “These additional facilities will provide the child development program with much-needed space and equipment to better prepare those who will be caring for and teaching our future generations of children.”

Eastfield’s current child development program is accredited by the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC). The new facility is designed to meet new criteria established by NAEYC that ensure quality care and educational services for the children enrolled. The new Center for Child and Family Studies will be completed in October 2009.

Eastfield College will continue to survey the community and, using input from residents and area businesses, will offer courses that meet their needs. The college also will work with area high school juniors and seniors to interest them in and ask for their suggestions about dual credit courses that they would like to take.

Source: Eastfield College

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