ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The need for daycare within the Abilene area is a growing concern for parents across the city. Now, a new solution is available with the help of Abilene ISD, which has partnered with a company in Lubbock to repurpose the old Ortiz Elementary School into a daycare.
What once housed school desks and dry-erase boards is now filled with nurseries and hopes for growth. Deputy Superintendent for Abilene ISD, Dr. Joe Waldron, spoke about how this partnership will help attract new teachers to the district.
“It just sets up really well for this kind of operation. With several daycares closing, it meets a significant need for our families who work for us and are part of our AISD family and our community,” said Dr. Waldron.
Mario Sandoval is the Owner of the New Heights Learning Zone, now located inside a wing at Ortiz Elementary. He explained how a small operation of filling a community need has now grown into several daycare facilities in the Lubbock area. Being from Abilene, Sandoval decided to bring some of that experience and service back home to the Key City.
“My sister and I opened up an in-home daycare, and then that kind of transformed into several centers. Fast forward to 2025; here we are coming back home and just trying to help the community out and then provide a service that Abilene desperately needs,” said Sandoval.
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Perhaps one of the more heartwarming aspects of this story comes from Candice South, who, for more than 20 years, worked as a daycare worker at the Pioneer Pathways Learning Center until its recent closure in May. Now, South and much of her team from Pioneer have found a new home with the New Heights Learning Zone, which South said is a blessing.
“We were excited because we really wanted to stay together. This is what I love to do. I love kids. I love my team. I’m just so thankful to God that we were able to make this happen. I’m just so ready to get really up and running and fill this place with happy children,” South expressed.
Leadership with Abilene ISD adds that this daycare is not officially incorporated into the AISD umbrella of schools, but the district is excited to help facilitate this community need and is looking forward to seeing the new operation grow…