The soft opening of Lisbon Early Childcare Center West is going well, according to superintendent Autumn Pino and LECC director Bre Ties.
The Lisbon School Board held a tour of the facility at the tail end of the Wednesday, Oct. 11, meeting.
“We have moved six or seven of the families from the current LECC to the LECC west campus to help us work out the kinks and things we might not know about how the space functions prior to opening to more new families in the area,” said superintendent Autumn Pino.
Pino said that the drop-off and pick up at the new center have gone extremely smoothly for those families thus far, a sentiment that Ties seconded.
“I had a mom dropping off her kids that was so used to it taking 10 to 15 minutes at the current LECC and to be in, have kids dropped off and have a few extra minutes before her work shift,” Ties said.
Pino commended the work of Ties and her husband Matt Ties, for all the work that has gone into getting this space ready since early summer.
Ties said Angie Santis definitely deserves several accolades as well for her behind the scenes work.
After the next week of operating in the space, Ties said the plan is to start adding more kids and daycare workers to the facility.
The center will operate their own kitchen for meals. Currently, the staff at Lisbon schools has been preparing meals and instructions for the workers at the center on how those should be prepared, but when the center is at full capacity, the kitchen space will be utilized at the center.
There is still some equipment for the center trickling in as well, including some sound dampening panels for each room, and some safety items to be installed before the final licensing review in 120 days, but the center is allowed to operate as those are being made.
Still, Pino and Ties acknowledge there is a different energy in the new center and they can feel the appreciation from families who are utilizing those spaces.
Board members Allan Mallie and John Prasil and community member John Baker check out the kitchen space during the tour.