Rockford — There were a few tearful goodbyes and lingering hugs as parents dropped off students for their first day at the new Parkside Early Childhood Center, but for the most part, students were “rip-roaring and ready to go.”
So said Principal Mindy McGinn midway through the first day of school, which was also the first day of a new chapter for Parkside.
In the spring, the district voted to repurpose the former Parkside Elementary School into an early childhood center to help consolidate — and increase the capacity of — its day care programs.
Throughout the summer, the former elementary underwent a “facelift,” McGinn said, as the district worked to convert the building into a space fit for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in the preschool, early childhood/special education and developmental kindergarten programs.
The building now has a new playground, new classrooms, a fresh and inviting interior paint job, new furniture, a spruced-up gymnasium and more, and Rockford’s youngest learners are loving the new space.
‘We’re such a big district, and to not have an early childhood center was surprising. To see it come to fruition was amazing.’
— Melissa Cochrill, director of preschool and child care services
“It’s good!” 4-year-old James Porrett said of the new ECC.
James played a pivotal role in helping the district unveil the renovated building during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“I held up that (ribbon) and then — snip!” he said of the experience.
One of the building’s biggest highlights, he said, is its new, decked-out playground; James said running around outside with the play equipment was the “funnest part” of his first day at Parkside.
Said McGinn, “It’s completely kid-appropriate and kid-sized.”
As for staff, “They are so excited to have this big, beautiful space,” she said, “to be able to have more kids involved, and to be able to offer that to the community in a bigger way.”
Filling a Need
Parkside holds about 220 students, roughly twice as many early childhood learners as the district was previously able to accommodate, said Melissa Cochrill, director of preschool and child care services.
“We’re really growing, and our district really has a need for early childhood,” she said.
The district’s early childhood hub used to be across the street from Parkside at the Rockford administration building.
“We had a very extensive waitlist, and being in this building allows us to open more classrooms and serve more families,” Cochrill said. “It’s really been nice for the kids to have more room to learn and explore.”
McGinn, who was principal of Parkside Elementary prior to the transition, said there’s more to come, too. The building will eventually be home to a family resource center, and Kent District Library will have playgroups at Parkside starting in January. The building will also host Bright Beginnings programming through Kent ISD.
But even on day one, with those things yet to come, Cochrill said she was thrilled for the building to open its doors and offer some much-needed services.
“This is my dream come true,” she said. “We’re such a big district, and to not have an early childhood center was surprising. To see it come to fruition was amazing, and to see all these families and all these children here, learning, is, like I said, my dream come true.”
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