A groundbreaking ceremony for the new 20,800-square-foot Center for Child and Family Studies will be held on Wednesday, 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 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 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 being designed to meet new criteria established by the NAEYC that assure 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.
For more information, contact the Eastfield College office of the president at 972-860-7001 or the office of marketing and communications at 972-860-7002.