$581K Preschool Opens in OW’s Santa Cruz Village

A new $581,000 preschool has opened in Santa Cruz Village, Orange Walk, with government and development partners betting that investing in early childhood education will help narrow the gap between rural and urban communities.

The Santa Cruz Government Preschool was officially inaugurated on Thursday. The modern facility features open-concept classrooms, child-friendly restrooms, a kitchen, office space, access ramps and a playground.

“We celebrate another great milestone in our journey to make childhood education more accessible to all Belizean children,” Minister of State Ramon Cervantes said during the launching ceremony. “With a total investment of $581,626.69, this project demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving education and educational infrastructure and to ensure that rural communities have access to equitable and quality public services.

“This Santa Cruz Government Preschool project represents more than just a building. It is an investment in the human capital, in the people of Santa Cruz Village and the Orange Walk North constituency at large,” Cervantes added.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Development Bank’s portfolio manager, Elbert Ellis, said that investments like these in the earliest years have lasting national benefits.

“Early childhood education is one of the most powerful investments any society can make,” Ellis said. “When we invest wisely in these formative years, we are not only improving individual futures, we are strengthening families, communities, and national development outcomes.”

The new preschool sits beside the Santa Cruz Government Primary School, which was inaugurated in October 2025, completing what Ellis described as a full early learning corridor for the community.

The preschool was funded through a partnership between the Belize Social Investment Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Ministry of Education.