Church for the city helps to expand access to childcare through new kids academy

Ariz, YUMA. (KYMA) - Church for the City hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new kids academy preschool they started.

The Church for the City kids academy was created not only to offer affordable childcare, but also help increase access to childcare in our region.

Lead pastor of Church for the City, Tyrone P. Jones says, “it’s always been on my heart to do a school, I started the church 33 years ago, I didn’t know how that would work out I didn’t know what the process would be.”

The ribbon cutting marks the academy's first full year of operation, representing a critical need across yuma county, childcare.

“Well then the more I got informed of what the shortage really was in our county then the stronger that desire became," explains Jones.

In Yuma County the gap is significant.

According to CTC there are 18,000 children under the age of six, but childcare capacity exists for only about 6,000 kids.

“We started the kids academy with the idea of wanting to just give full formation of kids, so not only a good education not only a safe environment, but even a spiritual cente, so that was the foundation of why we started," says Jones.

The church hopes to eventually grow the school in the future and eventually get up to 8th grade.