Del Valle ISD celebrates opening of three new Child Development Centers

DVISD hosted a grand opening celebration on Friday for the district’s three new, state-of-the-art Child Development Centers across the school district. 

The day began at the Central CDC, the DVISD and Thinkery collaboration, spearheaded by Superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle and Thinkery CEO Andy Bell. Thinkery and DVISD partnered to create a shared facility at Del Valle ISD’s central campus that integrates a new Del Valle Child Development Center (CDC) with Thinkery’s play-based, STEAM-learning approach.

The innovative model is part of an initiative by Dr. Tielle to connect DVISD with local organizations and businesses to bring additional learning resources to Del Valle families.

“I’m very excited about this particular building because this isn’t just a building. It’s a philosophy, a learning opportunity, and something that we’re bringing to our community to help our children continue to learn and grow,” Dr. Tielle said. “We’re about making things happen, and there isn’t an opportunity for a ‘No.’ There isn’t an opportunity where an obstacle is too high, or an obstacle is too big. We will figure out how to make it happen.”

The Central CDC will be home to a Thinkery Instructional Coach and hub for professional development for the district’s early childhood educators and elementary school teachers through Thinkery’s STEAM Learning Institute. In addition, there is dedicated space in the new CDC to host a Thinkery neighborhood museum. The neighborhood museum is projected to open in 2024.

“This model of fusing formal and informal learning into one space is truly innovative, not just for Central Texas, but for the State of Texas, and nationally. This will be a premiere child development center that will inspire others to follow really important and child-centered approaches,” Andy Bell said. “There’s just really, really incredible work happening in this district.”

Celebrations were held at the North and South CDCs following the Central CDC ribbon cutting. The three buildings for the Del Valle ISD Child Development Centers are part of the district’s 2019 bond projects, providing childcare for the district’s youngest students. The Central CDC is open for children of district students, staff, and the community. The other two, located on the Hornsby Dunlap Elementary and Smith Elementary campuses, are open for children of staff.

The Central CDC is led by Scott Willie, who has been a director for the past 11 years. The North CDC on the Hornsby-Dunlap campus is led by former Smith Elementary teacher Laura Dimmitt, and the South CDC on the campus of Smith Elementary is led by Deleasha Meier. 

“I’m confident that our new school will be a shining example of excellence in education as we pour our hearts into teaching, comforting, and nurturing all the DVISD staff’s children. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our DVISD families and their children from six weeks old all the way to five years old to learn and grow with us,” Daleasha said.