FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kids Don Hard Hats and Shovels to Celebrate
the Groundbreaking of Los Angeles Mission College's
new $9.1 Million Child Development Center

Local community leaders, College and District officials
join preschool children at the ceremonial groundbreaking

Sylmar, Calif. (February 28, 2007) The bright happy faces of children from Los Angeles Mission College's Child Development program lit up an overcast day as they helped break ground on the college's new $9.1 million Child Development Center on February 26, 2007. The children, equipped with hard hats and shovels, were joined by Los Angeles Mission College Interim President Ernest Moreno: Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Trustees Sylvia Scott-Hayes and Nancy Pearlman: LACCD Chancellor Darroch “Rocky” Young: Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas: college and LACCD staff, and other dignitaries.

"This is an exciting time!" said Moreno. "What's so important about this building is that it's more than just a child development center. This facility will benefit our students enrolled in our Child Development program and also the children under our care."

The new two-story 27,000 sq. ft. facility will serve up to 96 children. The facility will also house six classrooms for children ranging from infants to pre-kinder and after school care. The building will also have three observation rooms for parents, students and faculty in addition to a Parent Resource Room and staff facilities. The second floor of the structure will house three college classrooms with built in kitchens, seven staff offices and conferences rooms. The estimated completion of the structure is expected in April 2008.

"Giving our child development majors vital hands-on experience and training is one of the most exciting aspects of this center," said Scott-Hayes. "We will continue to work to ensure that this campus continues to grow and serve the needs of all the people around this community."

"This is a wonderful gem for the community," said Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas. "Today is a beautiful culmination of what it means to work together. On this campus, from now on, we are going to have on-hand teaching with our young people and we are going to have some of the best child development leaders of tomorrow go through this facility."

The new Child Development Center is part of Los Angeles Mission College's current $176 million renovation and upgrade effort to enhance and modernize its facilities. The LACCD's construction and modernization projects received funding from Propositions A/AA, two bond measures. Propositions A/AA are providing more than $2.2 billion for new construction and renovations at each of the LACCD's nine colleges. For more information, visit the construction program’s website at www.PropositionA.org.

PICTURED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT (TOP ROW): Nancy Pearlman, LACCD Board of Trustee; Ernest Moreno, Los Angeles Mission College Interim President; Darroch F. Young, LACCD chancellor; Felipe Fuentes, representative for Senator Alex Padilla; and Jessica Avalos, representative for Assemblymember Richard Alarcon. (BOTTOM ROW) Children from LAMC's Child Development program join Sylvia Scott-Hayes, vice president of the LACCD Board of Trustees and Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas.

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