(Boys Town, Neb., Oct. 21, 2026) – Boys Town celebrated the groundbreaking of its new Early Childhood Development Center, designed by DLR Group, on its National Headquarters campus. Rooted in decades of clinical research and early childhood experience, the new center will expand access to specialized education and family-centered support for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The 24,000-SF facility includes four preschool classrooms, two infant rooms, and two toddler childcare rooms. The expanded space increases enrollment capacity, provides care beginning at six weeks of age, and offers before- and after-school programming for school-age children. Since 1982, Boys Town’s early childhood program has helped children who are deaf or hard of hearing build language, literacy, and social skills. The new center builds on that experience, combining clinical research, specialized education, and family-centered support during the years that lay the foundation for lifelong learning.

“This groundbreaking builds on more than four decades of helping children and families establish a strong foundation for the future,” said Rod Kempkes, Boys Town CEO. “By bringing our research, clinical expertise and specialized education together, we can help more children access language and learning opportunities during the years when they matter most.”

The center optimizes early learning through a tailored sensory-responsive environment inspired by the project’s guiding principles:

• Language, access, and understanding are foundational;
• Inclusion, cultural respect and community are essential;
• The environment should uplift, comfort, and inspire;
• Play is the primary pathway to learning.

The environment is supported with advanced visual communication systems and tactile learning features, which foster student independence and discovery. The art studio serves as the building’s centerpiece, connecting directly to a secure central courtyard and encouraging fluid movement between active learning and play. Occupant health and wellbeing are prioritized by high-performance geothermal HVAC systems.