CHILDREN TODAY CELEBRATED GRAND OPENING OF NEW ECOHOUSE FACILITY
Long Beach, CA - On March 18th, Children Today celebrated the grand opening of their all-new, state-of-the-art daycare facility in Long Beach that provides free daycare services to families experiencing homelessness. The festivities included a ribbon cutting ceremony and speeches by Board President Bonnie Lowenthal, Executive Director Tonya Burns, Mayor Robert Garcia and local parent Jennifer Wilcox. Jennifer and Sarah Wilcox are in the process of adopting two young boys (3 yrs. old and 11 months old) who currently attend Ecohouse. Jennifer shared the positive impact Ecohouse has provided on their children. The event was sponsored by Port of Long Beach and local media were present to capture the events and tell the story of Children Today and the journey of Ecohouse.
The architectural firm that worked on Ecohouse, Studio One Eleven, secured Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the buildings. In order to obtain LEED certification, they must show proven performance in regard to environmental sustainability and lifetime returns.
Ecohouse is a state-of-the-art educational daycare and preschool with sustainable features like low-flow plumbing fixtures and outdoor rainwater catch basins, enhancing the environmental emphasis of the design.
“Of course being able to provide a safe and educational space for the children is our top priority,” said the Chair of Ecohouse Marsha Naify, “but we also want to ensure that they have a healthy future, which is why we decided to focus on sustainability.”
In addition to the sustainable features, there are several components that ensure the space will promote a stress-free environment and also increases the number of children it can serve from 64 to 83, while maintaining a low child to teacher ratio. The two open space play yards complete with artificial grass were designed to promote creativity and imagination. The rear play yard features soft rolling hills, a sandlot and areas to climb.
The planning for Ecohouse started six years ago when the Ecohouse Committee was initially formed. The property for the daycare was purchased two and a half years ago and the construction has been made possible with the help of Ecohouse’s partners Howard CDM, ETA Agency, Studio One Eleven and Mayor Robert Garcia (who raised funds for Children Today during his inauguration).
The new campus replaces their two existing facilities, Play House North and Play House West. Ecohouse is in a more central location, on 2951 Long Beach Blvd in Long Beach, which will provide the advantage of proximity to more families than its predecessors.
Andrea Esquivel
(562) 499-2305
aesquivel@agencyeta.com
About Children Today:
Children Today was founded by Jennifer Fitzgerald and Theresa Bixby in 1997 after Jennifer witnessed a toddler wandering alone across a busy street. Children Today’s goal is to provide a safe, and nurturing place for young children, who are currently homeless, to be while their parents focus on stabilizing their families. All of their facilities maintain the standard of one staff member for every four children to ensure more one-on-one time.
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