EULESS, Texas — The sound of children laughing and playing reverberated across a brightly colored playground at Mid-Cities Child Development Center in Euless.
After a closure that lasted nearly an entire year, children and their families were welcomed back to the daycare center on Monday.
Campus director Homeyra Soleymani said it was like coming home for families who rely on the center for child care.
“They were so excited and happy this place opened back,” Soleymani said.
During February 2021, the powerful winter storm tore through the center’s roof and forced it to collapse.
It left the building’s largest classroom flooded and unrecognizable. Nearly half of the building was damaged, which forced the center to shut down for repairs.
For the many refugee families it serves, the damage left them without their safe place. A majority of the roughly 30 children enrolled at the daycare are Arabic-speaking, and the center serves their needs by speaking their language.
“They were worried, they were sad,” Soleymani said. “This place was a safe place for them, and when this happened to us, they were kind of worried about what’s gonna happen to their children.”
It’s more than just a daycare center, it helps refugee families transition into their new lives in America.
“This is the only place in this community serving our families, and we’re not just teaching our children here, we try to teach our families and help them be successful in life,” Soleymani said.
When the center closed, families scrambled to find a new daycare center for their children. The leaders at Child Care Associates and Head Start helped parents relocate their children to new centers, but for many, it meant driving longer distances and encountering language barriers.
Over the last year, several Arabic-speaking children have continued learning from their teachers through Zoom.
This week, the classrooms are filled with smiling children once again. The walls are freshly painted and the damage was cleared away. Children were welcomed back with brand new wooden desks, toys, and school supplies.
It’s a happy ending for the tight-knit community that the daycare center has nurtured.
Soleymani told WFAA that the year-long closure was challenge for the children, parents and staff.
“We worked hard, now I’m glad we’re back home,” Soleymani said.
They say it takes a village to raise kids. Well, when the winter storm hit last February, dozens of refugee families lost their village.
Nearly one year later, the kids are back in their safe space where they can feel seen.
The reopening means they’ll be able to continue learning and growing in a space that strives to embrace their cultural backgrounds. It’s a place where a part of every child’s home country will always be with them.