Renovations are underway for the new Hazelwood Early Care and Education Center, a collaboration between Haywood County Schools and Southwestern Child Development Commission.

The project, initiated by Haywood County Schools, will provide day care for the children of school employees and the public at large. The center will be licensed for over 150 children and opens Aug. 1.
The new childcare center will be located at the former Hazelwood Elementary School.

In an informal survey of teachers, Human Resources Director Terry McCracken found that at least 34 employees would be interested in having their children enrolled in this center.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to provide an incentive for employees in Haywood County Schools. However, on a broader scale, it opens up another avenue for quality day care for members of the community at large,” said McCracken.

The projected opening date for the new facility would give teachers a few days to help their children with the adjustment of beginning day care before they begin the school year on Aug. 6.

There will be a total of nine classrooms, which will be divided into separate spaces for infants and preschoolers. The state of the art center will offer age and developmentally appropriate toys, materials, activities, and furniture, and the playground will be equipped with play structures that are handicapped accessible and age and developmentally appropriate.

Nancie Mahaffey, Haywood area coordinator for Southwestern Child Development Commission, is excited about the prospect of opening a new center that will offer high quality early care and education.
“There are currently two centers in Haywood County that have been accredited by the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC). We will work toward the Hazelwood Center joining those facilities,” Mehaffey said.

Only 4 percent of day care centers in North Carolina are NAEYC accredited.

“I’m excited we can offer this kind of quality care in Haywood County. The public is more aware than ever of the importance of quality care during the formative years when children are so receptive to learning,” she said.

For more information about the center, to enroll your child for care or to request information about employment, contact the Southwestern Child Development Commis-sion Haywood Area Administrative office at 456.4473.

 

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