It’s a spring day, and the sun is beaming down on the bright-hued playground at the Early Childhood Development Center. Joyful sounds of play and excitement fill the air as children skip through the halls. Core memories that reverberate for decades are busy being made. That’s the hope that the Seneca-Cayuga Nation has for the coming center, which recently broke ground. 

While currently taken over by heavy equipment, this lot of land at the Nation’s Headquarters in Grove is soon to be home to the new education center that will welcome children between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years old.

We're going to be going above and beyond to provide the best quality child care. We won’t just be meeting minimum required standards, but much more,” shared Niki Logan, Program Director for Seneca-Cayuga Nation and the heart and soul behind this project.”

For years, Niki has been dreaming of this project coming to fruition. “I applied for the grant in 2021,” she said. “It’s something I really wanted for our tribe. It's important to me that our tribal children have a safe, fun, and educational environment to grow and thrive in.”

After bringing the idea to Executive Director Dennis Sisco, she received the green light to start working on the center. However, the application process was no walk in the park. “The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) application for construction itself is as thick as a book, and going back and forth to capture all the requirements was a lot,” Niki reminisced. “I'm excited. Working with federal grants is such a process, and we’ve successfully navigated that process to currently be in the middle of our tribe’s very own Early Childhood Development Center! !.”

“I know Niki has been working tirelessly to get the designs, floor plans, and everything else finalized,” Chief Charlie Diebold said. “From a Nation perspective, it’s a new entity for tribal citizens and their kids. They can finally have a place to call their own.”

The Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) extends beyond the borders of our tribe. Once in operation, it will be open to our community, tribal members, and other Native American children. 

“This is a rural area, and as a rule, child care is very spread out,” explains Chief Diebold. “Historically, our tribal members were extremely limited on where (and how) to go about obtaining services for early childhood development. In the near future, we will offer early childhood development for all of our tribal members and citizens of this area – offering a place for our children to come and be supported in their development as they have fun and really get to explore their full potential.”   

The date of completion for the ECDC is slated for March 2025, provided construction and materials obstacles—including seasonal weather delays—are on track. As the project continues forward, more of the facility's design program will come to life.

After being deeply involved in the design process along with her assistant, Emily Shield, Niki gushed, “It's going to be beautiful—every bit of it. You can walk right to the playground from every classroom.” Students and community members will be able to experience the culture-driven center and playground intended to inform the importance of our tribe and its traditions to our learners.  “There will be a curriculum for each classroom with lesson plans that implement tribal language and culture into the center's daily activities.”

“To develop a new center for our tribe has been a career-long goal – one that we’ve been working on for a long time,” said Niki. “I remember having this conversation, and now that I see it actually happening. It is truly incredible, and I'm so excited for the positive impact it can have on the lives of our children.”