BLACKSBURG, Va. – The new Blacksburg Early Learning Center presented its official ribbon cutting Wednesday.
Given the shortage of day care centers in Montgomery County, parents are thrilled about the new learning center -- including Lorien MacAule, a mother with a full-time job at Virginia Tech.
For several months she spent an hour in the morning and again in the evening traveling to a day care center in Radford.
“Anyone who has a small child in Blacksburg knows that there's a serious shortage of day cares in the area,” MacAule said.
Now that the new early learning center has opened, MacAule only has to drive a few minutes from her home.
“It takes me five minutes to get here in the morning,” MacAule said.
“We have a very proven curriculum. Teachers to respond to how the children are learning and use what they're interested in to teach them what they need to learn,” Tammy Dunning, executive director of the Blacksburg Early Learning Center, said.
Bethany Mott of the Alliance for Better Childcare Strategies believes this new learning center will help improve economic growth in the area.
“It will not only help nurture the children but also help our economic development by permitting more parents to work and therefore help us grow,” Mott said.
Dunning said while there are still more than 50 openings, she believes they will fill up within the next couple of months.