Community Action Pioneer Valley Receives Approval, Funding Toward New Head Start Center

WESTFIELD — Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV) is making progress toward building a new Head Start center in Westfield. The agency recently received federal approval and funding from the Office of Head Start in the Administration of Children and Families to purchase a plot of land and build a new childcare center.

The total project cost, including the community’s in-kind contributions, will be just over $10 million. CAPV’s Head Start & Early Learning (HS & ELP) programs currently serve 61 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at a center that is leased from the city of Westfield until May 2026, at which point the program will need a new location.

The new site will be able to serve the current enrollment and expand to as many as 107 center-based children in the future. The proposed property is 6.8 acres and, once completed, will offer classrooms, administrative offices, support spaces, and age-appropriate playgrounds. When the new facility opens in fall 2026, it will offer two Early Head Start classrooms for children birth to age 3 and three Head Start classrooms for children ages 3-5. Families enrolled in home-visiting services through Head Start at Home will also have spaces to gather on site for socialization activities.

HS & ELP offers supports for health, mental health, nutrition, and disabilities, and partners with families as they pursue their own goals for education, employment, and well-being. The center will serve eligible families from Westfield, West Springfield, and other Western Hampden County communities, including Granville, Southwick, Chester, Blandford, and Russell, and will operate free of charge.