Buttonwillow Union School District Opens New Early Learning & Family Resource Center

Buttonwillow Union School District (BUSD) is celebrating a giant leap forward in its capacity to provide much-needed services and resources to its rural community. On Wednesday, the small district hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new early childhood education facility and family resource center. 

“This has been a long time coming,” said superintendent Heidi Witcher.

The project, which broke ground a year ago, is the result of years of planning, fundraising, and dedicated efforts. The new site features a preschool classroom, a transitional kindergarten (TK) classroom, an enclosed playground, and an expanded space for the district’s community resource center.

“Students have their own playgrounds. They have their own toilets that are like two inches off the floor. They’re very cute,” Witcher said. 

BUSD’s commitment to early childhood education dates back eight years when it adopted the Head Start program, which supports children up to five years old. When California implemented laws providing TK education for all four-year-olds, BUSD followed suit. Since then, both programs have been at full capacity.

“We are the only childcare provider in our community,” Witcher explained. “Otherwise, they have to go to Bakersfield, which most of our parents can’t do.”

TK teacher Karen Ehinger expressed her excitement for the new facility. Previously, her students used a classroom designed for older kids, which lacks an attached bathroom and is far from the playground. They would have to walk across campus to use various facilities. Now, the school’s youngest students have a space all their own that was built with them in mind. Ehinger says the kids couldn’t be more excited.

“All year we have talked about how we’re getting into this building, and it is beautiful,” she said.  “The kids ask: ‘Who’s going to be the first one down the slide?’ I keep telling them, Miss Karen. Miss Karen is the first one.” 

Kids play on the new playground for the first time.

The new facility also expands the family resource center to better serve the community’s needs. The center provides emergency food and clothing supplies, legal and tax services and advice, employment assistance, welfare assistance, vision and dental services, parent training programs for kids ages zero to three, and other assistance families can’t easily access. This new facility gives families a larger, secure, confidential space to meet their needs.

“For so many years, we made do with what we had,” said Serena Garcia, director of the family resource center. “My crew and I are really excited to bring the families in and show them the things that we’re capable of, bringing more and more services now that we have more room.”

The district pulled funds together from several sources to complete the 4,800-square-foot building, including district funding, the school’s general fund, a TK implementation planning grant, and Community Schools grants. 

Staff are now transferring over resources and working to furnish and bring supplies to the new classrooms. The community resource center is already open, and the TK and preschool students will move to the new facility after spring break. This achievement is a testament to what can be accomplished when a community comes together to invest in its future.

“We’re looking forward to what this is going to bring in the future for our community and our school,” Witcher said.