LEAP opens new early learning center to bridge education gap in Lompoc

Just 7 percent of children ages 0 to 2 and 62 percent of children ages 3 to 5 have access to licensed early childhood education in Lompoc, according to data from the Lompoc Early Learning Project. 

To help bridge this early education gap, LEAP opened the Lompoc Children’s Center at the Trinity Church of the Nazarene and welcomed its first students on March 17. Lori Goodman, the executive director of LEAP—which stands for learn, engage, advocate, and partner—explained that the organization aims to address the impacts of poverty, racism, and trauma by offering child care, family support, and community leadership. 

“We’re an organization that’s deeply connected to the community, investing in young children’s and their families’ well-being with an eye toward really addressing deep societal problems,” Goodman said. “We think that starts with young children.” 

The new center provides care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Goodman noted that by providing these additional opportunities for young children, they are making a dent in filling that early education need for the community of Lompoc. 

“We hope that certainly for the families who are able to send their children to LEAP, they will feel supported,” she said. “The parents will be able to work and to know that their children are in a safe, high-quality, enriched space that’s close to where they live. We hope to provide a sense of parent education, but also a sense of joy and community.”

Goodman expressed gratitude to Trinity Church of the Nazarene for offering up space and working with LEAP to make this center happen. She noted that the process of creating the center was not without challenges, however. 

“This was considerably harder than I could possibly have imagined when we started our partnership, and we just persevered,” Goodman said. 

Before opening the center, LEAP had to secure a contract with the church and change the space to accommodate children by complying with safety codes and installing size-appropriate toilets and sinks. Throughout this process, they dealt with lawyers, plumbing issues, construction delays, and even changing policies. 

“If it were up to us, we would have been open in October, but in order to get all the permits, all the building codes, and then to get licensed, and have fire sign-off, all of that took a long time,” she said. 

Despite these challenges, Goodman said that LEAP would be excited to expand its services in other areas of Santa Barbara County, adding that the only limiting factor to doing so is finding the space. 

“If there is another place that has spaces and they want to bring in a contractor that knows how to provide child care, we are ready to do that,” she said. “We think that the way for us to have the most impact is to grow. We think that the benefits we bring are high.”

According to Goodman, LEAP implements trauma-informed care at its facilities, which involves an emphasis on connective approaches that support emotional regulation rather than relying on punitive measures. She highlighted that when they open a center, they aim to build meaningful relationships with community members. 

“We start with child care, but then we’re able to wrap our arms around the entire family, and we connect with them very deeply,” she said. “People connect with their children’s teachers at those schools, and then we’re able to address other family needs because we’re building trust. So, hopefully, that becomes part of strengthening the Lompoc community and all of Santa Barbara County.”

Highlight

• The Delta High School Robotics team earned the judges award while competing among the top 40 teams at the Vex Robotics California Regional State Championship from March 14 to 15. According to a press release from the Santa Maria Joint Unified High School District, the team ranked above 90 percent of teams and narrowly missed the excellence award by just three points. The team fell four points short in qualifying for the World Championships, but they impressed the judges with their knowledge and engineering skills. The team spent countless hours of work after school building a “top-tier robot,” the press release noted.

Staff Writer Emma Montalbano can be reached at emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.

This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 6, 2025.