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Bailey Thompson<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Western\u2019s Child Development Center has been open since 1980, but on Jan. 7, it began its relocation to a new home behind the Campus Public Safety Office, where Western\u2019s ROTC program used to be located.<\/span><\/p>\n To celebrate the move, the CDC hosted a grand opening event on Feb. 13 with a treasure hunt for students, tours of the new facility, a cake, visits with Wolfie and a speech from President Rex Fuller.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis whole project came about because of a question I was asked during the State of the University Address a couple of years ago,\u201d said Fuller. \u201c\u2019Hey, what about a better space for the child development center?\u2019 After that, we did some analysis and started the project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Currently serving 51 students from the community ranging from ages 18 months to 12 years old, the CDC is open to children of Western students, staff and faculty as well as other member of the community.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about the reasoning behind the move, CDC Director Tammy Gardner shared that Todd Hall was lacking some amenities and safety qualifications that the new site has.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were just finding it very cramped over there in Todd Hall. The building is very old, so there were some earthquake safety issues with us there to be able to evacuate a building,\u201d said Gardner.<\/span><\/p>\n With their new facility, which has been heavily remodeled, Gardner celebrated a number of new amenities: big bathrooms, a spacious backyard, a lobby and nicer classrooms, amongst other things. <\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the facility, Dr. Fuller added that another strength of the CDC is its staff.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe currently have a director, five teachers, 11 student staff, and six volunteers,\u201d said Fuller. \u201cThey really do great work and go above scale in terms of providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students. It\u2019s exciting to see that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Gardner added how excited she is to have staff members who are able to connect with the diverse group of children that they serve at the CDC. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very multicultural,\u201d said Gardner. \u201cWe\u2019ve got three bilingual staff members that are Spanish-speaking, and we\u2019ve got two bilingual volunteers who speak Mandarin, so that\u2019s really helped with some of our visiting scholars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout her remarks, Gardner reaffirmed a number of times how caring and helpful different people and organizations from the university have been towards the CDC, and how grateful she is to be a part of this community.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe feel very very supported and loved by the WOU community, from facilities to Valsetz and President Fuller. They\u2019re our champions who really got this project going. It\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Gardner also shared that, for anyone who would like to get involved with the CDC, they can email her at gardnert@wou.edu<\/a> or visit the volunteer link on their webpage.<\/span><\/p>\n