(The following story by Phil Rooney appeared on the Daily Nonpareil website on July 19.)
OMAHA — A local company that has twice been selected as one of Working Mother magazine’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” broke ground Thursday on a new child development center.
Children dressed in railroad engineer overalls and hats took part in the ceremony as work began on the Union Pacific Railroad’s new Child Development Center at 1400 California St. in Omaha.
Railroad imagery will be incorporated throughout the building, which will have age-specific play areas designed for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. A Federal Emergency Management-rated storm shelter will be constructed at the center.
The $5 million, 20,000-square-foot center has room for more than 200 children of railroad employees. Many of those youngsters now attend other child-care centers in downtown Omaha.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions will manage the center. The company owns or manages more than 300 employer-owned child education facilities across the country.
“We hope to supply peace of mind for our working parents while providing children with a high-quality early education facility,” Union Pacific Chairman and CEO Dick Davidson said in a news release.