RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Monday, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Child Care and Development Program got to paint some of the drywalls inside the new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Development Facility in Pine Ridge, marking a new era.
“This building has been a dream coming for many many years,” said the director of the OST Child Care and Development Program, Pigeon Big Crow.
The new facility is part of the organization’s expansion, as they will also be opening another building in Wounded Knee in the future.
The OST Child Care and Development program has been leasing the Suanne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club since 2019.
While still under construction, Monday morning gave program members and more than 15 kids a chance to get a glimpse of their new home. Kids were seen painting the wall, getting their hands sticky, and doing their best Mike Rowe impression.
“They’re paving the way also, you know,” said the STEAM supervisor of the OST Child Care and Development Program, Joshua Williams. “At least, whenever they grow up, they could say, ‘I took part in painting this and taking part of building it.’ They get to leave their mark here.”
The organization provides early education and care and is a licensing agent for childcare providers on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“We also run outdoor education programming, cultural programming, home visiting programs, a stabilization program that helps providers make their home services a lot better,” said Big Crow.
She said construction for the building cost $14.7 million. They received seven different sources for funding, with six of them being federal.
“The other source was revenue that we’ve been generating over the last 25 years,” said Big Crow.
She said construction is expected to be completed in October and expects the doors to open in December.
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