Schools

Early Childhood Center Brings Teachers, Students Together

The Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, a dazzling $11 million facility, is designed to put the needs of children first.

When Maureen Toby first entered the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, she was ready to cry.

A second-year teacher with Naperville Community Unit School District 203, Toby was one of the first teachers to get the chance to unpack her belongings in the new building. Seeing the beautiful new school — and thinking of its possibilities — made her emotional.

Until now, teachers and students in the district were scattered across five different elementary schools. For Toby, being in a centralized school will make a big difference.

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"We couldn't collaborate (before)," she said. "It's been amazing to work with teachers I haven't had the opportunity to work with."

The Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, 1011 S. Naper Blvd., is an $11-million, 48,000-square-foot, single-story center serving children ages 3 to 5. The center, named in honor of Ann Reid, an educator and administrator who worked in the district for more than 20 years, opened Aug. 27. The center will hold an open house for the public on Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

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The center will provide a blended environment in which students of varying ages and abilities — including at-risk students and those with special needs — will learn together.

The school was designed with its young students in mind — from windows at little tyke level to pee-wee-height toilets. The school's staff met with the architects and visited other early childhood centers to determine what worked and what they liked, said Principal Jeannie Matula.

"It is really designed for young children," Matula said. "The space is so beautiful, it makes them aware of their environment."

Children in the building are able to view the gardens outside. It's hoped that the view makes them want to learn more about their world, Matula said. The school also has areas divided by color schemes: blue for the ocean, green for the rainforest, terracotta for the mountains and yellow for the desert.

Among the school's amenities are hallways that are wide with moveable building blocks attached to supports, a kitchen that can be used on parent nights, an indoor playground for those days when the children cannot go outside and a multi-purpose room with garage doors that roll up-and-down depending on the need.

All of the rooms have interactive Smart Boards as well as audio systems that allow teachers to wear microphones to evenly amplify and distribute sound throughout the room, Matula said.

Along with its enrolled students, the center also will provide home-based support for parents with children from infant to 3 years old who cannot enroll their children yet or are on the waiting list to enroll, she said.

One-third of the school's students have special education needs, Matula said. Some of the families' students pay tuition, while others receive grants through the state. "Preschool For All" students attend without paying tuition. 

The center begins its year with about 270 students, Matula said, but that number will increase fluidly as students with special needs turn 3 years old and require services. The school has about 80 teachers and staff members. Teachers are certified in education and special education.

The students will benefit from the new school not only because it is a beautiful facility with new equipment, but because teachers and students will no longer be scattered in different buildings, she said.

"(Before) if their needs changed, they had to move to a different school," Matula said. "Now they can move to a different class."

The building, constructed with a prairie-style design, has native plantings and includes rain gardens, Matula said.

"I just think it's a beautiful building," she said. "It's really unique and not what anyone has seen. … It is a fun place where kids will learn."


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