Space to Thrive conducts groundbreaking for new facility in Windham

By Ed Pierce

Space to Thrive, also known as Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care, and Great Falls Construction conducted a groundbreaking on Tuesday afternoon for a new early childhood education center at 184 Pope Road in Windham.

Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care held a
groundbreaking Tuesday for its new 'Space to Thrive'
facility on Pope Road in Windham. From left are Pam
Whynot, Board member; Hannah Marshall, Executive
Director; Donna Cobb, Board President; Jeanette Lamb,
Board member; Julia Champagne, Project Manager; 
and Sherri Evans, Board member.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Windham/Raymond SACC program is designed to provide students with quality, affordable childcare before and after school with a special emphasis placed on creating an environment that fosters friendships, responsibility, respect and cooperation. It is a licensed child-care program inspected by the State of Maine with facilities operated in compliance with state rules for child-care programs. All SACC programs meet or exceed all licensing, fire, health, and safety requirements.

The new Space to Thrive building will be about 6,000 square feet and will include infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms, as well as a multipurpose conference room, and supporting spaces. Outdoor space will be designed to encourage children’s natural wonder and curiosity. With an eye on sustainability, the facility will be built to have as minimal environmental impact as possible.

The Space to Thrive mission is to provide every child with positive and accessible experiences that nurture development. This new facility will be crucial in expanding the nonprofit Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care’s mission to encompass early childhood, in addition to supplementing the program’s rich history of providing before- and after-school care.

“We are grateful for the State of Maine Child Care Infrastructure Grant, as well as financial backing through Coastal Enterprises, Inc. Without these programs, this facility would not exist,” said Hannah Marshall, Executive Director for Space to Thrive and Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care. “We understand the financial burden child-care places on families, and we will continue to seek funding sources to support quality care while minimizing impact on families.”

State of Maine Child Care Infrastructure Grants are made possible through funding provided available by Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan investments and other state and federal funding distributed to support the child-care industry. As part of the Maine supplemental budget bill passed in April 2022 and in accordance with the original Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan legislation of 2021, more than $5.2 million in early childhood funds were reallocated to provide additional resources for grants to renovate, expand or construct child-care programs.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. is a Community Development Financial Institution that works to build a more equitable economy by growing good jobs, livelihoods and diverse business ownership, while advancing a just transition to a climate-resilient future.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) is administering the Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program through a partnership with CEI.

The Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care Program was originally founded in 1990 and began offering services at some RSU 14 schools in Windham and Raymond in 2002. It strives to provide a high quality, engaging and safe place for children to attend before- and after-school programs, as well as offering full-day programs.

According to the most recent census data, Windham has a population of about 19,658 residents and the town has seen a population growth of 6.7 percent since the 2020 census.

Marshall said that this growing community includes many young families in need of quality childcare and preschool services.

“The Windham/Raymond School Department, RSU 14, serves a student population of 3,200 students across six public schools,” she said. “The addition of Space to Thrive will help support the childcare needs of families in the area, ensuring that children receive the care and early education they need to thrive.”

Great Falls Construction of Gorham will be the contractor for the Space to Thrive project with Taselpointe Architecture of Windham serving in the role as the new project’s architect.

For more details about Space to Thrive early childhood education and before-and-after school programming available from Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care, visit its website at windhamraymondsacc.com to receive updates as it undergoes this transition.<