New Cedar Rapids preschool prepares kids for lifelong learning

CEDAR RAPIDS — Monica Frey is leading educators in preparing students for lifelong learning as principal of Truman Early Learning Center — the first building dedicated to teaching 4-year-olds in the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

Truman Early Learning Center, 441 West Post Rd. NW, opened its doors for the first time in September to 285 preschool students — and already has a 40-student waiting list. Every elementary school is in the district — the home schools where the students will later go — is represented at the center.

As students get off the bus — wearing backpacks almost as big as they are — teachers greet them by name and say, “It’s good to see you today.”

“They will talk about how excited they are to be at school,” Frey said. “They come in skipping, running and laughing, and it fills your heart. How many people can truly say they love coming in to work every day?”

Preschool prepares students to learn for the rest of their educational journey. Children who participate in early childhood programming are healthier and have better social-emotional and cognitive outcomes than their peers, according to district officials. Children with access to 4-year-old preschool also are less likely to repeat a grade, less likely to be identified as having special needs and more likely to graduate from high school.

The program is funded through Iowa’s Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program, created to help provide an opportunity for more children to enroll in preschool. There is no tuition to attend Truman.

The school partners with Champions — a national child care provider — to provide before- and after-school care to families in need, beginning at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. Offering full-day programming helps parents who want to “get back to work,” Frey said.

Students are bused to and from their home elementary schools, where their caregiver drops them off and picks them up.

Students who attended Truman when it previously was an elementary school have now been assigned to either West Willow or Maple Grove, two newly constructed schools. Some modifications were made to Truman to prepare it for preschool students, including new playgrounds and renovated restrooms.

“We’re very fortunate to have the space here in our district,” Frey said. “We often have to step back and say, ‘Look what we’ve done.’ It is amazing.”

Frey hopes the district can continue to grow preschool programming in the district, including adding a preschool to the east side of Cedar Rapids and expanding programming to 3-year-olds, which would require funding.

Melissa Zeien, a teacher at Truman, said days in her classroom are “a lot of fun.” Students learn to follow routines and how to learn through play, art, songs and dancing.

“It’s so helpful for preparing kids for the school setting. They have a year to learn social skills, get used to taking turns and sharing. They always come in with a hug,” Zeien said.

Peggy Daugherty, an early childhood special education consultant at the Grant Wood Area Education Agency, said Truman is a “unique model” for preschool with the large number of 4-year-olds in one building.

While some elementary schools also have preschool programs, the teachers there are “isolated” because they don’t have peers who also are preschool teachers to bounce ideas off of, Daugherty said.

“I love working here,” Daugherty said. “The teachers support each other and can interact as a team to problem solve together. There is always someone across the hallway.”

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