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New home of Early Bird Learning Center nearly complete

The new Early Bird Learning Center building is nearing completion after ground was broken in March for the colorful building at 357 N. Cunningham Road. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this month. The center opened six years ago and administrator Melinda Toy said the facility will increase the number of learning rooms from two at the current location at 2870 E. State St. to five at the new site. It is a toddlers to preschool center with a current staff of six. Toy expects to increase that by hiring five or six more teachers. (Salem News Photo by Larry Shields)

SALEM — People drive by and say it looks like a restaurant is going in, said Nick Toy, a partner in the Early Bird Learning Center nearing completion at 357 N. Cunningham Road.

Work started in March after the center outgrew its current location at 2870 E. State St.

Toy is a partner with Phillip Amenduri in owning the building, and Toy’s sister, Melinda Toy, the current administrator, will become a partner after it opens, no later than when Salem schools begin, or as soon as Aug. 15.

“We technically get the building the third week of July,” Nick Toy said.

The new, eye-catching colors on the pre-school building came from architect Justin Cosma, Toy explained, who was with the architectural firm when the design was commissioned.

“It’s about getting kids excited,” he said, explaining, “we were maxed out at our current center.”

They wanted to build a new facility three years ago. Toy said that on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, “We couldn’t take any more.” The center had to work around land availability, which took some time.

Toy said he had personal reasons for the center.

“We built this because I knew my son would have to go somewhere and wanted him with my sister with the focus on education.”

He didn’t want him sitting around and knew he would get “three hours of education every day.”

The 5,500 square-foot building is two-and-a-half times larger than the current center.

“Now we can hold 42, we will be able to hold 96,” he said.

The Early Bird Learning Center draws children mostly from Salem and the South Range school districts along with Leetonia and will have room for 12 infants, 14 toddlers (18 months to 3-year-olds), 24 children from 3-to-4 years old, 28 children 5 years and over and there is a “school-ager” room for about 18 kids who can’t be left unattended.

A Salem City School District bus is assigned to the center every day which is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

“We’re signing people up right now,” he said.

Toy said they expect add double the current number of teaching staff that stands at six.

For more information on the Early Bird Learning Center visit www.earlybirdlearningcenter.com on Facebook, or call 330-332-1446.

lshields@salemnews.net

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