Caddo Nation breaks ground on new child care facility

HINTON, Okla. (KFOR) - The Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is breaking ground on a new child care center and more.

According to the Caddo Nation, a ceremony is being held on Monday, July 10, at 10 a.m. to mark the beginning of construction for a new child care facility and much more.

The facility is part of the federally recognized tribe's emergence from the pandemic, officials say. The center will be state-of-the-art and the first project in the state designed by the world renowned architectural firm MASS Design Group.

"Our tribe was devastated by the pandemic," said the Caddo Nation's Chairman Bobby Gonzalez. "Our tribal office was closed in 2020, we had many deaths, including among our valuable and irreplaceable elders. The situation looked dire. But it looks exactly the opposite now."

Gonzalez added that the Caddo child care center will be built by the Nation's new construction enterprise, Arrowood Kakinah Enterprise, who has a number of projects already underway across Caddo County.

The Caddo Nation says the new child care center will show the tribe's initiatives. It will be located on nearly 80 acres of land northwest of Hinton and will include a lake, woodlands, trails and outdoor playgrounds. The new center will also include classrooms, a cultural hub, a cafeteria and an indoor-outdoor aquatic center. Numerous energy efficient elements are also included in the facility.

"We could have obtained an architectural design from a lot of good firms, but MASS Design has considered our overall community and culture, our needs, and broader use of the site," Gonzalez noted.

Gonzalez added that the new child care center is just the beginning and more projects are in the works.

"We have a number of other projects in line that we believe will raise the Caddo Nation, and that will also benefit our broader community in Caddo County. This is an exciting time for our tribe and for Caddo County."