Innovative Head Start center opens in Canóvanas with $5.6 million investment

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, at center, and Canóvanas Mayor Lornna Soto Villanueva inaugurated the new federal Head Start program center Nidito de Amor, which spans 10,000 square feet and represents a $5.6 million investment.

By The Star Staff

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón and Canóvanas Mayor Lornna Soto Villanueva on Thursday inaugurated the new federal Head Start program center, Nidito de Amor, in the Campo Rico community, with federal funding secured by the governor as resident commissioner.

The modern facility, which spans 10,000 square feet and represents a $5.6 million investment, stands out as one of the most innovative on the island. The two leaders had laid the cornerstone of the project together a few years ago.

“Our children in the Campo Rico sector will have access to a safe and excellent environment that facilitates their learning thanks to the appropriate use of federal funds, which we secured as a congresswoman and which our mayor knew how to invest in favor of this community,” the governor said. “The mayor brought us the conceptualization of this project, we secured the funding, laid its cornerstone, and today we celebrate with parents, students, residents, and municipal and state representatives that we have fulfilled our duty to this community by making this federal Head Start program accessible and accessible to them.”

González Colón added that the program “promotes school readiness for children from low-income families, it assists in the comprehensive development of children from birth to 4 years and eleven months, and it provides parents with the opportunity to join the workforce.”

Soto Villanueva said “[a]s I mentioned at the time [of the groundbreaking], in Canóvanas, federal funds are not wasted; they are invested to benefit our people.”

“As a mother, we know that, for our governor, early education is essential to the development of our children, who are the future of Puerto Rico,” she said.

The mayor emphasized that the project was developed over three years, including the design, demolition of an old school, and construction of the new facility.

“This new facility will house three Head Start program groups with capacity for 50 children and one Early Head Start program group with space for an additional eight children,” she said. “In addition, the facility will feature a hub-type area for emergency use, offering essential services such as internet, laundry, and cooking.”

Soto Villanueva also noted that the program was rescued by her administration in 2016, after a private entity failed to fulfill its mission.

“At that time, the federal government approved 10 Head Start programs for us with 400 children, and today we have significantly expanded that number,” she said, adding that a recent analysis of child care services in Puerto Rico indicates the urgent need to promote such facilities.

“The study estimated that approximately 60,000 children could be deprived of these services, a situation that worsened after Hurricane Maria and the pandemic,” the mayor said. “In Canóvanas, we couldn’t stand idly by, and thanks to the trust our team has earned in receiving federal funds, we have promoted the development of these facilities.”