"Classrooms of beautiful smiling faces:" New Collier option for early childcare

A new partnership is bringing hope and excitement for the future of childhood education in Collier County.

Fox 4's Naples Community Correspondent Mahmoud Bennett was in East Naples Friday, for the grand opening of the NCEF Early Childhood Development Center.

Leaders from FGCU and the Naples Children & Education Foundation cut the ribbon for the center, which will provide early education for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years old.

Mahmoud Bennett

The center, which was closed since 2018 and remained shut through the pandemic, reopened after a $2 million renovation and a new partnership to operate it.

Dr. Diana Cheshire, the Dean at FGCU's College of Education, highlighted the serious shortage in early childcare centers in the county. "Since 2020, 40 centers have closed in Southwest Florida," she explained.

Mahmoud Bennett

The new center will accommodate 93 children at a time, with its curriculum managed by FGCU.

Part of the funding for the center came from the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which raised more than $33 million in its latest fundraising effort.

Maria Jimenez Lara, the CEO of NCEF, expressed excitement for the center's potential to benefit both children and FGCU students pursuing careers in childhood development.

Mahmoud Bennett

"I'm most excited for seeing full classrooms of beautiful smiling faces and from hearing the success stories of children making great gains," said Lara.

Weekly tuition rates range from $172 to $250, with parents able to pre-enroll on FGCU's website.