by Lisa J. Tabet
Daily Lobo
Amid children dancing to a mariachi rendition of "It's a small world," a handful of excited parents and several state and University dignitaries attended the grand opening ceremonies of the UNM Children's Campus on Wednesday.
The children's campus, located on a recently constructed north campus site, will replace both the Child Care Center and the Manzanita Center at UNM.
The two organizations have merged to provide higher quality child care services on campus, said Elena Aguirre, director of the UNM Children's Campus.
Aguirre said the merger will "strengthen the care that the children get" and that the children's campus will be "more supportive of families getting their degrees."
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Sarah Valles, former program manager for the Manzanita Early Learning Program, will be the program manager for the Children's Campus and the liaison to the College of Education. She will work with the College of Education to set up academic uses of the center, such as student projects and observation of children for research purposes.
Michelle Dentry, a UNM staff member whose two children are enrolled at the Children's Campus, said the more resources the child care providers have to pool together, the better.
"It is exciting to get people in here to conduct research with the children," Dentry said. "We need to have more people trained for early child care development so they can be good teachers and child care providers in the future."
Construction for the $3.5 million new child care facility, which began in April 2001, was funded through the UNM System Revenue Bond proceeds.
The new facility features 25,600 square feet of new space complete with a special room with drains to finger-paint in.
The outdoor areas include protected and landscaped playgrounds, gardens and learning areas.
The celebration included remarks by UNM president Chris Garcia, who praised the new facility and the dedicated staff at the Children's Campus.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who was the keynote speaker at Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, praised the goals set forth by the UNM Children's Campus and said it will be a model for the goals of the Children's Cabinet.
Denish is chairwoman of the cabinet, a new governmental department comprised of secretary and department heads, which was created by an executive order signed by Gov. Richardson.
"The children's campus is a place of joy and learning for our children and for UNM students as well, learning about early childhood development." Denish said.
The Children's Campus will provide child care for UNM students and staff while they attend classes and work.
Many UNM students are excited about the new merger of the two childcare facilities, said Margaret Lumpmouth, a junior majoring in philosophy and mother of a 27-month-old child.
"I love the new facility, and I feel really lucky that my son can come here," Lumpmouth said.
