Wyandanch Union Free School District

The Wyandanch Union Free School District officially broke ground on its new Early Childhood Education Center on Sept. 18, a long-awaited facility that will bring the district’s youngest learners a new home in September 2027.

The groundbreaking is a milestone in the district’s commitment to providing early learning opportunities and building a foundation for future success of its scholars.

The new facility is designed to include six pre-K classrooms, a library, a multipurpose room with a kitchen that can also transform into a performance space, flexible seating to support different learning styles and a new playground.

Board of Education trustees, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erik Wright, school administrators and staff were joined by local dignitaries including state Sen. Monica Martinez, New York State Board of Regents member Felicia Thomas-Williams, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon and Town of Babylon councilmember Tony Martinez.

“Today is more than a groundbreaking — it is a homecoming,” said Assistant Superintendent for Administrative and Instructional Accountability Dr. Christine Jordan.

“For the past seven years, our pre-K and kindergarten students began their educational journeys seven miles from the heart of Wyandanch. Today that changes. Today is a promise fulfilled that Wyandanch invests in its future, and that future begins with early childhood education.”

Next, Superintendent Dr. Wright reflected on his own career beginnings in early childhood education. “I stand before you today as the proud superintendent of the Wyandanch School District,” he said. “For me, early childhood is where I began my career in education, and it sparked my passion for educating students. With this building, our students will be welcomed, validated and affirmed the moment they step through this state-of-the-art facility. This facility will allow our students to find themselves and build a strong academic foundation for years of success.”

Board of Education President Latisha Walker added, “Today is an exciting day as a yearslong vision is being realized. We have had so many conversations about how we can bring Wyandanch’s littlest learners home. We have been missing a vital piece of our community, and what you see before you is part of a master plan that came together through the efforts of many people. I am so proud and thankful for your steadfast commitment to our district’s mission of academic excellence.”

To conclude the ceremony, board of education trustees, district leaders and elected officials dug their shovels into the earth, symbolically breaking ground and celebrating the start of a project that will shape the future of Wyandanch’s students.