The Cerritos College Child Development center held a ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday, April 30 for the construction of the new Child Development Center.

According to Cerritos College President Linda Lacy, the decision to create a new Child Development Center has been in the playing station for over 16 years.

With the voters passing the most recent bond series, the school was finally able to start construction.

Lacy is excited to finally get this project started and feels that the new environment is going to benefit the children greatly.

“It’s probably going to be the neatest and most progressive play grounds. Right now the students have been in the technology building and it’s rather cramped and it is a worn out facility. We’re excited because we love the idea of a child development center on a college campus because it shows progression,” Lacy said.

According to the Director of the Child Development Center, Debra Ward, the new Child Development Center will not be the permanent building, but will be a portable building designed so that the same program can be operated such as innovative practices, outside classroom activities.

The new outdoor environment will be used for a lot of the hands on learning that is going to take place and includes themes for areas of play such as mountains, grassy plains and beaches inspired by southern California life style.

Ward went on to mention that the students of the center played a key role on the design of the new center.

“The program starts with two years old and goes on until five years old. About four years ago we designed what our play ground should look like based on the children’s interest, their needs and how they learn. Every year the teachers bring the ideas back to the new children and old children and share the ideas and then more ideas begin to form,” Ward said.

Mother of two students currently enrolled in the Child Development program, Sheryl Ung, is excited that her children will be able to experience such a well built center that teachers have been talking about to all the parents.

“I don’t know what other schools around the neighborhood that are going to have the kind of equipment and play ground that we’re going to have here so we’re all really excited,” Ung said

The children even got to participate in the ceremony as they were given shovels to start the digging in front of the guests.

Within the next year and a half or so, the new center should be finished and ready for the students of the Child Development Center to enjoy.