New ECE Head Start office building dedicated

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga was joined Wednesday by the local Education Department (ASDOE) and ASG officials during the dedication ceremony of the new Early Childhood Education - Head Start (ECE/HS) building located on Lima Street at the ASG housing complex in Tafuna. The ECE main office was previously located in Utulei for many years.

The project, contracted to Nana’s Incorporation, is funded with about $2.5 million under ASDOE’s share under the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA.). The facility is approximately 12,521 square feet of space, which includes a dentist station, primary care station, conference room, classrooms, computer lab, kitchen, and adequate office space for registration and finance.

In special remarks delivered at the dedication ceremony, the governor says that it has been a “key priority” of the Lemanu-Talauega Administration “to build up the capacity needed to accommodate and serve the needs of our people.

“The relocation of the ECE Office will allow for better service to the community, but most importantly, to our children,” he said, according to a statement from the Governor’s Office. “The early years, prior to kindergarten, are the building blocks for success. It is equally critical that the appropriate resources are afforded.”