A former preschool on East Fesler Street in Santa Maria is set to become a new child care and early education center, with the goal of expanding access for low-income families.
The project comes as local organizations point to a growing need for child care, particularly for infants, toddlers and preschool-age children.
A 2025 Santa Barbara County child care facilities Master Plan identified Santa Maria and Orcutt as areas with a high need for child care services.
For local families, finding affordable care can be a challenge.
“I feel like for a lot of families, it’s pretty difficult, especially with the economy right now,” said Cesar Solis, a local parent. “I feel like it’s impacting a lot of families that don’t have the funds to actually have a child care provider for their kids.”
Leonor Rojas, a mother and grandmother, said limited wages can make child care difficult to afford.
“Honestly, it’s difficult because they don’t make enough while working in the fields to pay for it,” Rojas said. “They earn very little, and it’s not enough for anything.”
The former preschool was previously operated by a local church. According to one of its former members, the preschool eventually closed because of low enrollment.
Now, local nonprofit CommUnify is taking over the facility and plans to turn it into a child care and early education center.
Patricia Keelen, CEO of CommUnify, said the location was selected in part because of its proximity to families who need child care services.
“This facility is located here deep within the Santa Maria community,” Keelen said. “This is a particular neighborhood that has a lot of needs, and so this facility is going to be able to provide services that families need. They will be able to walk to the facility to drop off their children.”
CommUnify Children’s Services Director, Jennifer McDonald said the organization’s community needs assessment found a significant gap in licensed child care, especially for younger children.
“So one in 10 infants and toddlers have access to a licensed child care space, and seven in 10 have access in preschool,” McDonald said.
McDonald said demand also continues throughout the school year with between 150 and 200 infants and toddlers on CommUnify’s waitlist at any given time.
The new center will include classrooms designed for different age groups, with each classroom able to accommodate about 15 children.
The center will also have multiple staff members assigned to each age group to support children’s learning and development.
For preschoolers ages 3 to 5, the center plans to have two teachers and one assistant for each group. Younger children will have additional teaching staff to provide more attention.
McDonald says there will also be support for the families.
"The center will also include a family services advocate who can connect families with resources available throughout the community," McDonald said.
A site supervisor will oversee the center’s daily operations and staff.
The facility is expected to serve approximately 70 children and will be available to families who meet the program’s low-income eligibility requirements.
CommUnify plans to break ground on the project in the coming months, with the center expected to open by summer 2028.
Enrollment is now open for the 2026-2027 school year at CommUnify's other child care facilities in the Santa Maria area.
