On a recent gloomy morning, a class of 3-year-olds squealed and sprinted across the artificial turf at the Circle C Child Development Center in Southwest Austin.
A handful of teachers stood around the playground, swinging the children, blowing bubbles with them or helping them grab toys out of a giant toy box.
Next year, the nonprofit center at 5917 La Crosse Ave. will celebrate its 30th year in business. It enrolls about 360 students.
For most of those years, Executive Director Michelle Moran has tried to reduce the center’s costs by pursuing exemptions for the facility's property taxes, which cost $100,000 annually.