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Vinton-Shellsburg expanding 3-year-old preschool this fall
Also, child care center will offer preschooler and before- and after-school care at Shellsburg, Tilford elementaries
Apr. 29, 2024 5:00 am, Updated: Apr. 29, 2024 8:43 am
VINTON — The Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District will begin offering 3-year-old preschool this fall in a second location, and it also is partnering with a child care center to offer on-campus, before- and after-school care and preschooler care at those schools.
This fall will be the first time preschool for 3-year-olds will be offered at Tilford Elementary School in Vinton.
It’s a “game-changer” for the community and for families who may struggle with transportation or child care for kids, especially those in half-day preschool programs, said Kyle Koeppen, superintendent of the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District.
To accommodate more students at Tilford Elementary, the district is spending $3 million on new construction, funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from Future Ready Iowa. The grant was submitted by the school district in partnership with Virginia Gay Hospital and Clinics in Vinton.
The other $1.5 million is coming from the school’s Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, a capital projects account funded by property taxes.
“When the school and the community join together, we create opportunities that make our community a more attractive place to live, and we strengthen the learning opportunities provided to children and students,” Koeppen said.
The district has been offering 4-year-old preschool at both elementary schools through their Tiny Vikes Early Childhood program. But 3-year-old preschool was offered only at Shellsburg Elementary.
No fees are charged to attend the half-day, 4-year-old preschool through the Iowa Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. A fee is charged for the 3year-old preschool unless a child qualifies for Early ACCESS intervention services offered to children with developmental concerns.
About 90 students are enrolled in the half-day, 4-year-old preschool, which is open four days a week, from 8 to 11 a.m. or noon to 3 p.m.
About 30 students are enrolled in the 3-year-old preschool in Shellsburg, offered two days a week from 8 to 11 a.m.
Child care expanding to preschoolers
Last summer, two educators — Meredith Zuspann, a reading teacher at Shellsburg Elementary, and Kelsey Fish, a coach with Grant Wood Area Education Agency — bought Creative Kids, which opened in 2015.
They directed the center, this school year while keeping their jobs, but will transition this summer to operating the child care program full-time and expanding it to include preschoolers.
This fall, Creative Kids — open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. — will expand to Tilford Elementary and provide before- and after-school child care to preschool students as well. Creative Kids also offers summer child care for a fee.
Zuspann said it was an “emotional decision” to leave teaching after 15 years. But she enjoys interacting with children at Creative Kids in a different way.
“We’re both working moms, and we were when our kids were in preschool. We know the barrier transportation and child care is for families. This is really important to us,” Zuspann said.
Purchasing the center — with the help of about $30,000 in grant funding — was a “no brainer,” Fish said.
“It’s not often someone can leave education and teaching and still get to impact kids and make a difference in their lives,” Fish said.
When Creative Kids went on the market, “we ultimately were a little scared knowing how important child care is in these small, rural communities,” Fish said. “We did not want to see this go. It has a great reputation, and we hated to see something happen to that.
“Who better to own and operate a child care center than two people who already have connections in the community, to the families and the kids?”
For more information about Creative Kids, visit creativekidsvs.com.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
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