After nearly 22 years of operating from temporary accommodation following a devastating hurricane, a brand-new purpose-built early childhood education facility has officially opened its doors in Tivoli, St Andrew, Grenada. On Friday, 2 October 2026, Grenada’s Ministry of Education joined partners from the OECS Programme for Education and Relevant Learning (OECS PEARL) to host a formal opening and handover ceremony for the Sacred Heart Catholic Pre-School, a milestone project that delivers a safe, modern learning space for young learners that were displaced decades ago.
The origins of this project stretch back to 2004, when Hurricane Ivan destroyed the original campus of La Poterie Pre-School, forcing the program to relocate to makeshift space at the Sacred Heart Catholic School. What began as a temporary arrangement stretched across more than two decades, until the national government prioritized the project as part of its national Construction and Expansion Programme for education infrastructure. The total investment for the project totals more than EC$1.9 million: the Government of Grenada covered the majority of costs, with OECS PEARL contributing EC$312,000 to the construction budget plus an additional EC$104,000 for classroom furnishings, playground equipment and core teaching materials. The Ministry of Infrastructure oversaw construction management, led by engineers Avinash Kumar and Shadab Azam.
From groundbreaking in June 2025 to final completion of all additional site works in July 2026, the project defied expectations by wrapping up well ahead of its original schedule. Both engineer Shadab Azam and Grenada’s Minister for Education, Senator the Honourable David Andrew, publicly praised local contractor Neville Matthew, owner of Matthew’s Construction Services, for the exceptional quality of work and on-time early delivery.
The new pre-school facility is designed to serve generations of learners, with a 50-year minimum design life built to OECS regional building code standards. Its reinforced concrete structure is engineered to withstand extreme wind events common to the Caribbean, addressing the vulnerability that destroyed the original campus. Inside, the building features four separate classrooms, each equipped with its own child-sized restroom and hand-washing stations, plus a dedicated sick bay, a full teachers’ lounge with kitchen facilities, and accessible rest areas for staff. Externally, the project includes a purpose-built playground, new perimeter fencing, a retaining wall, and site upgrades to the surrounding grounds, as well as integrated rainwater harvesting tanks at the rear of the building to support sustainable water use.
For Ann Marie Joseph-Bhola, the Teacher-in-Charge of La Poterie Pre-School who has served the program for more than 20 years, the new facility is a transformative change. She highlighted that thoughtful design choices — from the child-scaled bathroom facilities to the added safety features including perimeter fencing, safety barriers and a dedicated separated playground — address longstanding challenges the school faced in its temporary space. Many of the educational resources supplied by OECS PEARL are resources the program never had access to before, and the new teachers’ lounge marks the first time staff have had a dedicated private space to prepare lessons and rest. “Now that we have a new state-of-the-art building, we can do new things. We won’t be as crammed as we were before. The children will have enough space to interact and to learn,” Joseph-Bhola shared.
Minister Andrew opened his remarks at the ceremony by extending gratitude to all stakeholders who brought the project to fruition, particularly the Ministry of Education’s Project Unit led by Project Officer Ruth Charles. “It’s always rewarding and fulfilling when you can see something start from the beginning and see it come to a successful end,” he said. “So, this $1.9 million dollar project — the money is nothing compared to the value that we place in these early learners. This fits well with the Ministry of Education’s thrust at early childhood development and education — the Ministry of Education’s thrust towards foundational learning and foundational literacy.” He also outlined upcoming education infrastructure projects in the area, including extending an access ramp connecting the main school to the new pre-school, upgrading the existing main Sacred Heart Catholic School building, and constructing and retrofitting a dedicated math and science laboratory for older students.
Gail Phillip, Acting Principal of the Sacred Heart Catholic School, called the opening a landmark moment for early childhood education in the community. “Today, we celebrate not simply the handing over of a building but the recognition that early childhood education, provided in a nurturing and supportive environment, is the foundation upon which a child’s future is built,” Phillip said, sharing her heartfelt appreciation for the collaborative effort that delivered the project.
Contractor Neville Matthew echoed that sense of pride in the finished facility, crediting open collaboration between his construction team, school leadership and teaching staff for enabling the early completion. He expressed hope that the community would care for the new facility to serve learners for decades to come.
Parent Kamilah Date, whose child attends the pre-school, shared her excitement after touring the new building. “It was a pleasure seeing the building finished so quickly and the bathroom was amazing,” she said. “The person that did this knows what they’re about and they put this into existence and it’s looking real, real beautiful.”
The opening ceremony drew a crowd of community stakeholders, including senior education ministry officials, school leadership, current parents of pre-school students, and local residents, who gathered to mark the end of a 22-year wait for a permanent, safe learning space for the island’s youngest learners.