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People Incorporated opens early education center in Fall River to serve 212 children
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Summary
People Incorporated held a ribbon-cutting Oct. 17 for a new early education center at 145 Weaver Street in Fall River City that can serve 212 infants, toddlers and preschoolers; developers and state and federal officials highlighted state grants, a $1 million EEOST capital award and ongoing funding needs for childcare and staff wages.
People Incorporated held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 17 for its new early education center at 145 Weaver Street in Fall River City, a facility the nonprofit says will serve 212 infants, toddlers and preschoolers and operate daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The new center, People Incorporated’s leaders and several elected officials said, expands local child-care capacity and creates jobs for early-education staff. “I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome you to the grand opening and ribbon cutting of our new early education center, a place that will serve 212 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and their families,” People Incorporated President and CEO Meg Sturck said.
State and federal officials at the ceremony described the project as the product of layered public and private funding and long-term advocacy. State Representative Carol Faiola said the commonwealth is continuing to invest in early education; she cited recent budget figures and legislative grants, saying, “In the FY26 budget, we appropriated 360,000,000 for the Commonwealth Cares, the C3 grants, with a 115,000,000 in the early education care operational grant fund for a total of $475,000,000.” Theresa Jordan of the Children’s Investment Fund said the project received a $1 million capital grant from the Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund, commonly called EEOST, which supports creation or improvement of childcare spaces.
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who attended the event, praised the private-public partnership and emphasized federal funding and workforce pay. “Children may be only 25% of the population. They’re a 100% of the future,” Auchincloss said, repeating a widely used phrase at the ceremony and urging continued investment to support teachers’ wages and children’s development. Mark Lanigan, regional director for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, delivered remarks from the senator’s office noting federal support and appreciation for the project.
Officials and partners described elements of the center’s design they said support child development: indoor classrooms, an outdoor play area with a greenhouse and garden beds, and spaces intended for inclusive services. Theresa Jordan said the EEOST program was first included as a provision of the state’s 2013 housing bond bill, has been administered in partnership with community development groups for years, and was reauthorized in 2024 with $50 million for five years.
Speakers thanked private donors and local banks and singled out People Incorporated staff and board members for leading the project. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, who said he previously worked in Fall River Public Schools and at People Incorporated, called the new facility “a crucial stepping stone for the children of our city.” Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw and Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Goldstein also praised the facility’s design and the partnerships that produced it.
The ceremony followed a groundbreaking last August that officials and partners said began the capital project. Attendees were invited inside for refreshments after the ribbon cutting.
