New child care center opens to fill need in Santo Domingo Pueblo

SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO — Tiffany Calabaza choked up with emotion as she began to give opening remarks Dec. 5 at the grand opening of the Kewa Child Care Center.

"Good morning! Thank you all for joining us today," was all Calabaza, program director for the center, could say before she briefly broke down — only for the crowd to respond with applause.

After collecting herself with the help of tribal dignitaries, Calabaza said through sniffles that she would act as master of ceremonies during a program that would include remarks from the Pueblo's governor and lieutenant governor, Democratic Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández and New Mexico Indian Affairs Secretary Josett Monette.

The event was a long time coming for the center, which broke ground in June 2023 after six years of planning. The pueblo went from serving less than 20 children in a community of 800 youth to now being able to serve over 100 of them, according to Calabaza.

Previously, the pueblo provided childcare either at home or at a facility in Waide, which Calabaza said the pueblo has outgrown.

"It's a little bit more, but still not enough," she said. "In order to offer quality child care services, we needed this building here today."

Serving infants to 13-year-olds, the $15 million, 23,000-square-foot facility is not a school but acts as a place to host before- and after-school programming, general childcare, and recreation, Calabaza said in an interview.

"We want (children) to value and recognize their identity," she said. "(When) our children typically go to school, the majority of their time is spent learning academic subjects, and it really pulls our children away from learning the language and engaging in cultural learning opportunities. So before they go to school and after school, they can come here and do all of that."

Kewa Pueblo Lt. Gov. Raymond Aguilar Jr. said the center could act as a bridge to other learning institutions in the area as well as colleges and universities.

"Go and get educated. Go and challenge the white man's world," Aguilar Jr. said. "Bring your talents and degrees ... back home."

More than programming, the center plans to take a dual-language immersion approach to child care, incorporating English and local Native American languages together during activities, Calabaza said.

Child care is, in fact, just one mission of the center, which also will engage families, she said. To that end, the facility includes a "cultural room" made with adobe. During the grand opening event, the room, complete with a fireplace, was a place where families and dignitaries gathered for discussion over hot Native American food.

Just as notable as the center's mission is its design, which includes poles that are painted like heishi — beads used to create artwork or jewelry. These poles, found at the center's entrance and near the playground, also act as a way to keep out sunlight.

These aesthetics and the facility's design were made possible by Albuquerque-based ROMA Architecture. Its principal owners, James Lucero and Dean Cowdrey, were present and recognized at the grand opening.

Lucero said in an interview he learned about heishi in conducting research for the building's design and wanted the structure to "lock into the values of the community."

"We just want them to know that they're in Santo Domingo Pueblo and try to make the architecture feel like it belongs here," Lucero said. "Our favorite part is seeing the kids use it."

Pueblo parent Lurlyn Tenorio, a mother of two boys, saw her children use the center on Dec. 5. She said the facility is "amazing" and added she is "very excited about what is to come."