The CentroNía Martha Gudelsky Child Development Center, which is located at the old Silver Spring library at 8901 Colesville Rd., is described as a “state-of-the-art facility offering accessible full-day early education and care to 127 children from birth through five years old in multicultural, bilingual (English/Spanish) environment.” The center will open in fall of 2024.
Upon opening, it will operate year-round, with a minimum of 75% of slots reserved for children from low-income households. “Access to high-quality, affordable early education and care remains one of the greatest challenges for Montgomery County families: with over 71,060 children aged 0 to 5 years old residing in the county, a growing number of low-income families need, but have limited access to, early childhood services.”
The center will also create 40 new jobs, opportunities for local partnerships, and space for community events. According to a BizJournals report, the childcare center already has a long waiting list and is expected to open in early October.
The Martha Gudelsky Child Development Center is a nonprofit organization established in 2016 to provide additional childcare “seats” for children of mixed-income families to meet the growing community need for accessible early childhood services and ensure that children can develop the foundational skills and disposition to succeed upon their transition to Montgomery County schools.
The Homer and Martha Gudelsky Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1968 by Martha Gudelsky, it contributes to charitable programs devoted to improving health, education, the arts and the community. The Martha Gudelsky Child Development Center brings to fruition her vision to improve the lives of children.
CentroNía is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization providing affordable, high quality early childhood education; professional development for educators; and family support services in a bilingual and multicultural environment to over 2,400 children and families. For 36 years, CentroNía’s holistic approach has helped children and families succeed academically, develop a keen sense of community, and live healthy and active lives.
Montgomery County invests nearly $6 million annually in its early care and education system to meet young children’s developmental needs and close opportunity gaps. The County has entered into a long-term ground lease with the Martha Gudelsky Child Development Center to operate a child development center at the site of the former Silver Spring Library.