by John Sorce
Special to The Leaven
ATCHISON — The First Steps Childhood Learning Center, another feature of the Marian Heights development here, held a grand opening the morning of Oct. 22.
About 60 people were in attendance, including several who helped fundraise for the facility.
“It was nice to see all of the people who were part of getting this project done be able to come together to celebrate the ribbon cutting,” said Shelby Buman, communications coordinator at St. Benedict’s Abbey.
The abbey purchased the property at 1926 N. 2nd St. thanks to a nearly $5 million grant from the state of Kansas in 2021, beginning a new chapter in its efforts to serve the community.
Now known as Marian Heights, the property is home to organizations that support individuals and families in different stages of life, including the Pregnancy Resource Center of Atchison, Sacred Heart Counseling and a KerixHealth location.
First Steps represents the latest step in the abbey’s vision for Marian Heights: a community of service providers working to uphold human dignity and support for families through every stage of life.
“We are pleased to welcome organizations whose missions support individuals and families at different stages of life,” said Abbot James Albers, OSB, in a press release.
“We pray that God continues to bless our work at Marian Heights for the dignity of his people and the future of Atchison,” he added.
This new facility adds 146 childcare slots for children from infancy through age 12, expanding access to much-needed infant care and offering opportunities for new families to enroll.
Research in the Atchison community showed a great need for childcare, and specifically infant care.
“That was a really high priority in creating this new location,” Buman said.
The center will also provide resources to connect families with vital health, education and workforce services. Its location has both an outdoor and indoor playground as well as spacious creative spaces and multiple classrooms for each age group.
“We are really excited about the indoor playground to give the students a place where they can play during the heat of summer and cold of winter,” said Buman. “The classrooms will be safe places for them to learn. They will have different educational resources within those classrooms that are specific to the needs of their age group.”
Looking ahead to future development, First Steps has hopes to expand even further into a neighboring building on the Marian Heights property to provide even more help for families facing the shortage of childcare in Atchison.
“During our very first summer of operation, we reached maximum capacity in both our preschool and school-age programs,” said First Steps director Nina Ostertag. “This demonstrated an immediate need for additional childcare opportunities for these age groups and helped identify where future growth should be prioritized.
“Ultimately, our first summer of operation has reinforced the importance of continuing to expand childcare access. We want to build upon the success of the new facility and ensure that more families have access to reliable, high-quality preschool and school-age care.”
