Maine Gov. Janet Mills helped open the Space to Thrive non-profit childcare organization’s new facility, located on Pope Road in Windham, on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
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| Maine Gov. Janet Mills joins State Senator Tim Nangle, board members, staff, parents and children in cutting the ribbon officially opening the new Space to Thrive childcare center on Pope Road in Windham on Sept. 17. The 6,000-square- foot building was completed by Great Falls Construction. COURTESY PHOTO |
The building’s five classrooms are welcoming spaces, with activity-specific areas dotted around each, and doors leading directly to the soon-to-be completed playground. Each teacher assembled and arranged their classrooms to fit their students’ needs, ensuring that children will find enrichment wherever they turn.
Before assisting in cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening, Mills sympathized with, “the balancing act that so many of us have to do in Maine and elsewhere to make life work.”
“Parents across the state need consistent, affordable care for their children, no only so they can go to work, but so their children can have a great place to learn and grow,” she said, while touting her administration’s accomplishments in helping to expand childcare access in Maine.
“As someone who raised five daughters and as someone who is now a grandmother to five, I deeply appreciate the work that childcare providers do every day, and I know it isn’t easy,” Mills said.
Mills’ administration provided $250,000 in federal funds to help finance the new 6,000-square-foot building, among other financial boosts to local programs that help the community support growing families.
Being in Windham makes “my heart happy,” said Windham resident Aubrey O’Meara, one of the center’s preschool teachers. “It’s amazing to see how much of the community has come out tonight. They appreciate our hard work.” Both O’Meara and lead preschool teacher Diana Gonzalez put their ‘heart and souls” into their rooms, she said, recounting how they spent hours assembling furniture and rearranging the pieces to ensure the comfortable rooms felt like home.
“We live by that motto, ‘Space to Thrive’,” Gonzalez said, pointing to the spacious rooms with areas dedicated to different themes and the outdoor activities the new location provides for children’s enrichment. A trail through the woods beyond the classroom door leads to a brook where kids can play in the water, and even a mud kitchen. Evidence of the children’s enthusiasm for these new features was evident in the muddy boots neatly arranged under the cubbies in each classroom.
“Maine is all about the outdoors,” said State Senator Tim Nangle of Windham, who joined Mills and other dignitaries at the opening. “It’s one more added feature to this facility that gives that kids a well-rounded day.”
Nangle praised the organization and its dedicated staff and envisioned new community programs that could grow from the cooperation between the town and the non-profit.
“The employees here, I saw in person, are dedicated to these kids, and love them like their own,” he said. “This is the best kind of arrangement because it’s a public/private partnership. RSU 14 doesn’t need to build new facilities and doesn’t need to hire more employees, and the community gets quality and reliable childcare.”
He even considered volunteer opportunities for members of the community, envisioning seniors as interns to help support the staff. “It’s a great opportunity for community participation,” Nangle said.
Ensuring the organization meets the needs of parents in Windham and Raymond is an essential component for the center’s leadership.
“Our program is growing and we are learning, adapting and shifting to meet new challenges and community needs,” said Hannah Marshall, the organization’s Executive Director, praising its “perseverance” over the past 25 years since the founding in 1999.
“We pledge to hold the experience of the children at the front and center of our work each and every day,” she promised. “I hope you can feel the optimism and excitement that our whole team has been exuding this week.”
Founding member and longtime President of the Space To Thrive Board of Directors Donna Cobb joined in on that joy.
“It’s exciting to see the end and the beginning, all at once,” she said, noting how the long process of building a new center began in 2018, before being derailed due to COVID. The original location was near Home Depot and would not have afforded the children the significant outdoor space of the Pope Road property. Cobb added that while COVID had disrupted their plans, the wooded lot ended up being ideal.
“There’s not enough outdoor space,” she said, noting her wish to purchase more of the wooded property to expand their ability to provide outdoor activities for the children.
While the event may have been the grand opening, Cobb is looking forward to a day where they can open the doors for the families of the staff to “let them get to know the place without everyone around,” highlighting how important all families are to the organization.
“Our families listened to us go through all this stuff,” she said, recounting many nights spent planning around her kitchen table and their families’ sacrifices over the long years planning for this facility.
Space to Thrive, also known as Windham/Raymond School Age Child Care, currently serves 150 families in Windham and Raymond, providing affordable childcare through early childhood education and school aged childcare. <
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