New London — With the lease of a building secured and renovations competed, the school district on Monday will open the doors of the former B.P. Learned Mission at 40 Shaw St. for the start of preschool classes.

School and city officials joined on Friday for a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the site of what is to become the Birth to Age 8 Early Childhood Center at B.P. Mission.

Use of the building has allowed the school district to shift all of its preschool programs from Harbor School to the new building while using grant funds to expand services to accommodate more than 100 students. Eight preschool classrooms will be opened on Monday.

Meanwhile, the city plans to provide a host of social service programs and resources for things like information technology classes, mental health services and other programs.

School Superintendent Cynthia Ricthie said the project is the result of “dreaming big” while looking at available resources and assets and collaborating with “people with passion.”

“This will be transformative work for children for years to come,” Ritchie said.

The City Council earlier this year approved a lease agreement with building owner Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut.

The city’s two-year lease agreement will cost $375,000 per year with the option to buy the building for $1,525,000. The lease payments will be subtracted from the purchase price when the school is sold.

The school district is paying the lease and the city is covering the difference when it comes to purchase of the building, which would be $775,000 at the end of two years.

Mayor Michael Passero said funding for the project is the first planned use of the more than $26 million in federal COVID-related funding expected by the city, which must be used by 2024. He expects to make an announcement on other planned uses later this month.

City Finance Director David McBride said operational costs will be shared by the city and the school district. He projects the city will spend about $2.1 million through year four of operation, which includes the purchase cost.

The Board of Education is using a mix of grant funds to cover lease payments and operational costs, according to a worksheet presented to the Board of Education on Thursday. The district expects a total cost of $1.67 million in the first year but by year four will have to find a new funding source to cover expenses. The $16.5 million expected through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program, or ESSER, runs out in 2024. The district is additionally using a state Smart Start grant.

It will be a similar situation for the city once funding from the American Rescue Fund Act expires.

Mirna Martinez, who led the education subcommittee of the city’s Long Term Recovery Committee, said there has been continued effort to come up with ideas to meet the needs of the underserved population in the city. She said on Friday there needed to be continued accountability to ensure the new facility becomes the community hub as designed.

B.P. Learned, established in 1859 to serve children from low income families, had offered after school programs, summer classes and parenting programs at the 40 Shaw St. location. It merged with Child & Family Agency in 2003. Doors of the facility were closed during the pandemic last year.

G.smith@theday.com