A Yakima-based early childhood education provider is partnering with the Roman Catholic parish in Benton City to build a HeadStart preschool to serve children of seasonal agricultural workers.

The 7,840-square-foot modular building will cost $3.8 million to build and have capacity for up to 60 children and about 20 staff when it opens in the spring 2025, said Marina Cossio De Garza, director of programs for Inspire Development Centers, in a statement to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Modern Building Systems will provide the structure.

Cossio De Garza said utility limitations at Inspire’s preschool at Whitstran, northeast of Prosser, is prompting the move to Benton City.

“The facility will provide an early learning environment where children will receive high quality educational, health/safety, nutrition, mental health and disability services,” said Cossio De Garza. She added that the goal is to provide the children of seasonal agriculture workers with a safe and engaging environment while their parents work.

The preschool, along with a playground and parking lot, will be on property on Horne Drive leased from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish, though the church will not have a role in operations. Enrollment is expected to open just before the building is completed at the end of April.

“We think that it will be good for the community,” said Monsignor Thomas Champoux of Richland’s Christ the King Parish, who administers the Benton City parish.

Inspire has established preschools across the state, with most in Yakima and Grant counties. It currently has locations in Kennewick, Prosser and Whitstran in Benton County and Pasco, Connell and Basin City in Franklin County.

Established in 1983, Inspire’s goal is to provide quality early childhood education to low-income families in rural areas. It offers four types of HeadStart programs, depending on the needs of specific communities and the ages of their children. It also provides services such as home visits and parent education to support families and help children get the most of their education.

The Benton City preschool will offer seasonal Head Start programming for children aged 5 weeks to 6 years old who are primarily from rural poor and low-income families, Cossio De Garza said. Some families from Benton City are already being served by the Whitstran center. Children previously served in Whitstran will be transported by Inspire to receive services at the new Benton City location when it opens.