Lofgren Secures $250,000 for Hartnell College’s Child Development Center

SALINAS, CA — On Tuesday, September 22 Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) visited Hartnell College’s Child Development Center in Salinas to deliver a $250,000 check as one of her 13 community projects she submitted for the Fiscal Year 2026 congressional appropriations cycle. These funds will be used to renovate the Center’s outdoor learning environment and make essential safety upgrades.

“It’s great to visit Hartnell College again and celebrate this win for the children of Salinas,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. “The Child Development Center here has provided great programming for kids and has helped parents with young children pursue their educational goals. Every parent wants their child to be able to play outside safely, and I’m happy to help deliver this funding to help renovate the outdoor learning environment."

"We're thankful for this investment, which will finally allow us to give our youngest students a space that matches the quality of learning we want to provide every day,” said Michael Gutierrez, Superintendent/President of Hartnell College. “The Child Development Center has always been about supporting Salinas families. We thank Congresswoman Lofgren for recognizing that investing in early childhood education is investing in our entire community."

The Child Development Center at the main campus of Hartnell College serves the larger Salinas community by providing a quality preschool program that facilitates the transition to kindergarten for children 2 through 5 years of age. It includes educational development, health services, social services, and nutritional services.

During 3-hour sessions, children spend between 2 and 2.5 hours in the Center’s outdoor learning environment. The outdoor climbing structure was installed in 1995, and a priority of the renovation will be to remove this structure. Currently, children need to cross a bike path to reach the play structure, another safety concern that will be addressed by the renovation. The redesign will also enhance access to gardening, outdoor dramatic play, art and construction, and a variety of natural experiences.

Rep. Lofgren’s community project submissions this year have delivered $750,000 for Salinas projects alone and nearly $3.2 million for projects in Monterey County. This included $500,000 for expanding the Salinas Soccer Complex.

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