On March 11 from 5:30-6:30 PM at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, the Education Department Child Development Fund seeks input, from the tribal community, on cultural aspects of the interior and exterior design; landscaping and inclusion of indigenous plants; and curriculum options.

As many remember, the tribe submitted an application for construction of a childcare center, back in June 2019. Construction was approved in October 2019.

Since then, the tribe has: Hired a part-time Project Manager to oversee day-to-day construction activities; Hired 3 teacher trainees to assist in the Mukayuhsak Wee8uw; and Partnered with Cape Cod Community College for Early Childhood Education (ECE) coursework, leading to teaching and administrative credentials and/or an Associate of Arts degree. Mary Cronin, Director of the Early Childhood Education Career Pathways Grant, has been instrumental in tailoring courses of study for the teacher trainees and tribal community members interested in pursuing ECE credentials, at no cost to the students.

The construction site sits on Alice May Lopez Drive, next to the site of the proposed Community Center, in the Mashpee Wampanoag Village Housing Development, currently under construction and located on Old Meetinghouse Road. The childcare center is expected to be 5100 square feet equipped to serve 35 children, 6 weeks to 5 years, to ensure that our youngest and most vulnerable are given opportunity to flourish in positive, sustainable, and culturally appropriate ways.

If interested in any of the aforementioned activities, please contact the Education Director at ext. 149; or the CCDF Program Manager at extension 152, Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 4:30.