Childcare center in Little Havana completes building upgrades thanks to federal funds awarded by Commissioner Higgins

MIAMI-DADE – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, District 5, and Centro Mater Child Care Center are hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of hardening building upgrades to the Center on Friday, July 29 at 10 a.m. In 2019, Commissioner Higgins awarded nearly $150,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funds to Centro Mater to replace their childcare center’s aging infrastructure with hurricane impact and energy-efficient windows and doors.

“For over 50 years, Centro Mater has been a vital part of the Little Havana community, providing thousands of children and low-income families with a place to call home,” said Commissioner Higgins. “I’m happy to support this center and its resiliency by modernizing this wonderful space with new and improved windows and doors to keep the students and staff safe during inclement weather while also cutting energy costs.”

Centro Mater offers its services to a diverse community including U.S. citizens and immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Peru, Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, and El Salvador among others. All students of the program are low-income, with 90% living below the federal poverty guidelines.

For more information, please contact Francis Izquierdo, Communications Manager for Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins at [email protected] or 305-375-5924.