The renovated Early Learning Center will soon be ready to go for a new group of 3- and 4-year-olds.
All preschool students will now be in one place – a dedicated set of classrooms and gathering spaces within the district office. Those renovations were made through the bond passed in 2023.
The Early Learning Center is getting a new entrance at the back of the building so it is distinguishable from the front side of West Resource Center. There will be a secure entrance similar to the one at the high school.
About 100 students are enrolled in the program. To max out all six classrooms would be about 120 kids, but the district would like to keep classes smaller.
The program can eventually reach about 160-170 kids, but the district doesn’t see that coming until the city sees some growth, Superintendent Stu Moeckel said. If the district did end up getting more than enough students for six classes, they’d need to hire more teachers, but there are eight classrooms with the new renovations to prepare for those increases.
Families will fill out an application before receiving an email about enrollment. The program is taking families inside and outside of the district. Enrollment is still open.
Last year, the program had about three full-day classrooms or about 85 students total, so the district is seeing an increase already, Director Kristen Lewis said. Formerly, the program was run through the interlocal, which set requirements for those who could enroll. Now the program will be open for all and run by the district.
“We want to be there for our community, so if there are people in the community that need a preschool for their 3- and 4-year-olds, we want to be able to make sure they are in our program,” she said.
After hearing from community members the need in the community for more child care options, especially for all-day service, the district wanted to be an integral part of fixing those issues, Moeckel said.
“We thought, ‘Okay, we can do something to target that.’ And with the board’s vision for that space, and knowing what the community needed, the board made that very much a priority with the investment in the early childhood center,” he said.
Eudora hopes for this to provide a more affordable option so parents do not have to leave in the middle of the work day to take their kids somewhere for care, and rather give the opportunity to get students ready to be Cardinals, he said.
School Board member Claire Harding agreed it was clear a program like this one was something that was a major priority for the community.
Giving residents a choice when picking their child care – especially with affordable options – was important to her and the board. The new facility is going to be a star in the district, she said. Making use of the existing space has been a good move, she said.
“It’s going to be just the right spot for those 3- and 4-year olds,” Harding said.
For those in the district, the monthly cost is $250. For those out of district, it is $500. There is also an extended day option from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. This is an extra $50 monthly or $100 if the student is out of the district.
Overall, the district wants to provide services for families that need them and is looking forward to the growth of the program, she said.
“I feel like Eudora is really doing something that a lot of school districts don’t do. First of all, we’re offering all day, we’re offering year-round. It’s really unusual for school districts to do that,” she said.
Lewis is the new program’s director, but she is no stranger to Eudora. She’s lived in the city since 2000 and said Eudora schools make the city special. She has been working with staff to prepare since the beginning of the year.
Lewis is looking forward to being part of such a unique program – one that many districts do not offer their residents, she said. The all-day component makes it special, she said.
Lewis wasn’t looking for a new position, but when she saw the opening for the center, she knew she wanted to apply.
She’s been working with children for over 30 years, and over 20 of those were spent as a director of a private preschool.
The new playground and the new themed areas within the building are an exciting part of this whole process, she said.
Another new feature is having both a teacher and a teacher aide in all classrooms, she said. They will also work on keeping students in the classroom and bringing special education or other support staff into the student’s classes rather than pulling them out, she said.
Lewis is excited to implement the new play-based curriculum through Frog Street this year. The program – which will meet Kansas standards to get students ready for kindergarten – will be an interactive program focused on math and literacy but also social emotional skills.
As she starts her first year in the district and starts up a new program, she hopes to see how things go and what needs changing after the first year.
Moeckel is excited to have her in the role because of her extensive knowledge in the field, from running a program, working with staff and families and the new Cardinals, he said.
“That’s just so exciting for us, for that wealth of experience she has,” he said.
He’s looking forward to seeing the looks on kids’ faces when they see a space made specifically for them and to support their future in the district.
“Every dollar we invest in early childhood, it pays dividends over the course of those students’ educational careers,” he said.
The program will begin Aug. 19. Moeckel said construction is moving on time and the building should get teachers in on Aug. 5 to start putting classrooms together.
To see more photos of the space and other bond projects, see this story.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
