BRISTOL — The old Jennings Elementary School has come back to life with the opening of the new Bristol Preschool Child Care Center facility there.

Shirley Anderson, executive director, said the organization searched for more than 10 years for the right location to provide subsidized, affordable infant-toddler care for the community.

HARTFORD - State Representative Whit Betts (R-78) and State Senator Henri Martin (R-31) applauded the decision to award a $3,250,000 grant to assist with the Bristol Preschool Child Care Center‘s relocation to the former Jennings School.

The funds will be utilized to finance the relocation of the program, along with renovations and improvements to 17,000 square feet of space within the former school building and installation of a playground.  Work on the project will reportedly begin this fall.

Tucked behind Bristol’s downtown area is a facility where 150 3- to 4-year-olds spend the year learning, playing and preparing for the next steps of their education.

Bristol Preschool Child Care Center, Inc., located on West Street, has been in existence for 42 years, and its executive director, Shirley Anderson, said she hears time and time again that “it is Bristol’s best kept secret.”