The Sunshine House early learning facility held a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 21 to introduce the community to their new location.

The center first opened as a University children center in August of 1989 and has had a close relationship with the CSU community throughout the years. Around 90 percent of the Center’s clientele consists of the children of CSU students, faculty and alumni.

“We partner with Early Childhood Center, sharing a department of education grant called Childcare Assistance,” said Samantha Coontz, the Sunshine House Center director. “With that grant we are able to assist families who are student parents, help assist those with scholarships, purchase equipment and host family events to make the families feel more supported.”

The Sunshine House provides internships for students working toward a human development and family studies degree. CSU sophomore Makayla Witt started her internship with the Sunshine House this semester.

“Working for the Sunshine House is a great experience,” Witt said. “The students get to work with the kids, which is a lot of fun, while gaining first hand experience.”

In order to maintain their business as well as expand, the Sunshine House has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which requires applicants to meet over 400 benchmarks to receive accreditation.

The center has also met required benchmarks for the local Qualistar rating and has done work with the Early Childhood Council to train their employees.

“Day care is not just childcare. It is a learning facility with a curriculum intended to teach the children basic skills,” Cootnz said. “We are grateful for our expansion. We are so glad to be able to have a greater reach in our community and to be here to serve CSU.”

Collegian Reporter Danielle Jauregui can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @danij27.