This morning, May 14, Cape Fear Valley Health held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its First Adventures Child Development Center. The daycare, located at 1727 Roxie Ave., in Fayetteville, is a four-star licensed childcare facility that serves Cape Fear Valley Health’s employees. 

The center offers care for children from six weeks of age through pre-kindergarten, as well as before- and after-school care for children up to age 12. Weekend care is available exclusively for school-age children. It is currently the second largest daycare in Cumberland County, and it will be the largest daycare facility in the county when the expansion is completed.

“Today is more than just the start of a construction project. It's the beginning of something beautiful. I won't take time to talk about blueprints or square footage. Instead, I want to speak about what truly matters, the hearts, the minds and the futures that will grow inside these walls. Early Childhood Education is powerful. These first few years shape how children see themselves, how they connect with others and how they begin to understand the world. What we nurture now will echo for a lifetime, and it is our deep joy and purpose to be part of that journey,” shared CFVH Director of Child Care Services Lashauna Cunningham at the ceremony.

The planned $4.8 million expansion will add 11,519 square feet to the facility, bringing the total square footage to 26,494. The project includes the addition of 12 classrooms, enabling the center to increase its enrollment capacity to 200 children and create 30 new staff positions. Plans also include an expanded playground area.

“It’s one of those added resources and benefits that I've always wanted to see at a health system, the ability for our workforce to come to work and not just to have a daycare, but a daycare where they could place their children, where they felt like they were safe and that they could trust the care of those who were providing those services, and so it's an honor and a privilege to be able to expand for our workforce,” remarked CFVH Chief Human Resources Officer Denver Hopkins.

This expansion reflects Cape Fear Valley Health’s ongoing commitment to investing in early childhood education and supporting the needs of its workforce and their families.

Construction is scheduled for completion this winter.