ABC Head Start Society Opens New Location at Mill Woods Town Centre Mall, Offering Educational Support for Children and Families in Need

Edmonton, AB, August 23, 2024 – ABC Head Start Society is excited to announce the grand opening of its new location at Mill Woods Town Centre Mall, a significant step in our vision to ensure all children have equal access to a full and successful life.

ABC Head Start offers one of the oldest and largest Head Start programs in Edmonton, with a large team of specialists and teachers dedicated to the development of early learning and communication programming. The new site will serve as a hub for ABC Head Start’s comprehensive wrap-around educational programs and services, designed to empower families and help children thrive.

"ABC Head Start families are often facing poverty and other vulnerabilities, and most children accessing our services are learning and growing as neurodivergent thinkers," said Erin Gobolos, Interim Executive Director of ABC Head Start. "With a new dedicated space for educational programming, speech therapy, and parenting workshops, this location will create a nurturing environment that meets the unique needs of children and families.”

“On behalf of Alberta’s government, I would like to extend a congratulations to ABC Head Start on the opening of the Mill Woods Town Centre location, and for the important role they play in helping hundreds of students start off on the best possible footing,” said The Honourable Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides. “Through investments such as increased Program Unit Funding and ongoing funding to help school authorities add more staffing supports to complex classrooms, Alberta’s government works closely with education partners to make sure Alberta’s youngest, most vulnerable learners receive the timely educational supports to achieve their best in school and beyond.”

In a commitment to community well-being, Maclab Development Group is providing space below market to ABC Head Start to host their programming within Mill Woods Town Centre.

"We are excited to open our doors to ABC Head Start and contribute to the betterment of our community," said President and CEO Bill Blais. “We share their commitment to create more inclusive and supportive environments for children to learn and grow in the early years.”

Edmonton City Councilor Keren Tang of Ward Karhiio helped to bring Maclab and ABC Head Start together for this partnership.

"When ABC Head Start Society approached me about their vision to better serve the Mill Woods community, it felt like a serendipitous opportunity to connect them with Maclab, who was working towards a similar goal of supporting Mill Woods residents, and Edmonton as a whole,” said Council Tang. “With a transit hub, and multiple family-friendly amenities nearby this was a natural collaboration. I am beyond excited to see this partnership come to life and can’t wait to see how more families will benefit and thrive in this community."

The public grand opening celebration will take place on Saturday, August 24th from 10:00am to 3:00pm, in partnership with the Mill Woods Town Centre Mall for their YEGO Festival – Edmonton's #1 LEGO Event. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the facility, learn more about our programs, and meet the dedicated staff committed to making a difference in the lives of children and families.

For more information about ABC Head Start and its programs, please visit abcheadstart.org.

For questions or interviews, please contact:

Erin Gobolos
Interim Executive Director
Egobolos@abcheadstart.org
780.721.5519

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new Mill Woods Town Centre location! 🎉 A special thanks to our distinguished guests who helped us cut the ribbon (as pictured from left to right): Wes Patterson, ABC Head Start Board Chairperson; @christinandp, MLA Edmonton-Mill Woods; @aprilmackillins, ABC Head Start Executive Director (on Maternity Leave); Bill Blais, President of @maclabdevelopmentgroup; @kerentangyeg City Councillor, Betsy Rodriguez, ABC Head Start Site Supervisor and @erin_gobolos ABC Head Start Interim Executive Director.

We are also grateful to @christinandp for her thoughtful gift to commemorate this exciting new chapter for ABC Head Start—it’s now proudly on display at our new centre.