Coffman engineers is pleased to announce that work has begun on a new Cook Inlet Native Head Start (CINHS) facility following a land purchase in Anchorage.

CINHS purchased an undeveloped, 3.8 acre lot in Anchorage near 16th and C Street, on which they will construct their new Head Start facility. The site is located adjacent to the Chester Creek, allowing for easy access to the nearby trail, surrounding greenbelt, and Valley of the Moon Park. The land purchase was an important step in providing future childcare facilities that are easily accessible by the community.

Coffman is partnering with MCG Alaska and Cadence General Contractors to design and construct the new 17,000 sf facility that will support CINHS’s mission to “Build Strong Foundations with Alaska Native Families through Alaska Native Cultures and Education.” The facility will create a sense of Alaska Native cultures, place, safety, and belonging through the integration of all five Alaska Native cultural groups. The building design will be inclusive of multi generational, non nuclear families, and will be designed sustainably to exhibit care and response for the natural environment.

“We’re excited for the opportunities our children and families will have to learn and interact in an environment that incorporates traditional indigenous structures and elements into a contemporary Native educational facility,” said Ethan Petticrew, Executive Director of CINHS.

The new facility will have eight classrooms to serve children from six weeks to five years of age and feature a CINHS community gathering space that will be an integral part of the building design. Construction is scheduled to begin fall 2019, with the building being completed and occupied during Winter 2020. Funding for the new facility was provided through two grants from the Office of Head Start. One grant added 32 slots for babies six weeks to three years old, and the other changed slots from part day classes to full day.