WEST VALLEY CITY — Nicole Droitsch said when preschoolers were asked what they wanted the brand new Salt Lake Head Start building to include, one precocious child suggested, "unicorns."
While she is unsure about rounding up the mythical creatures, Droitsch said the $1 million school will help reduce a waiting list of more than 700 children living in poverty.
Ground was broken Wednesday for the school at 6400 West and 4100 South, the site of a project more than four years in the making and scheduled to open a year from now.
Preschoolers in Monroe Elementary's Head Start program sported gold-colored shovels and construction hats as they eagerly moved the dirt around in recognition of the project getting off the ground.
To round out the event, several toy construction vehicles sat against the backdrop of the real stuff, which Head Start spokeswoman Droitsch said will have to work on a fast track to meet next year's scheduled opening.
The school, which will feature five classrooms, a multipurpose center, lunchroom, library and playground. It will help the Salt Lake Community Action Program's Head Start meet the needs of the more than 2,000 children it serves in Salt Lake and Tooele counties.
Children ages 3-5 whose parents live at 100 percent of the poverty level are eligible for the program, which aside from offering educational instruction includes medical, dental and social services to preschoolers and their families.
Representing one of four lenders on the project, Zions Bank's Bob Andersen said the project exemplifies the positive that can come from a collaborative effort.
"As lenders we tend to think in terms of profit, location and market conditions," he said. "But this is a facility that is going to build our future."
Salt Lake's Head Start, Droitsch said, has its program housed in schools and youth clubs throughout the valley. The project represents the first ever built-from-the-ground-up facility for the program.
But Droitsch said as growth in school populations has expanded in the last few years, the program is often in jeopardy of being evicted as school officials struggle to make room for their own students.
"The space crisis has really evolved over the last three years that has made this necessary," she said.
E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com