Teachers and other staff members at Valley View Preschool are anticipating the opening of a new facility that will provide more classroom and playground space, as well as increased visibility.
Construction crews are building the Catalina Foothills Valley View Early Learning Center, which will provide about 12,000 square feet of classrooms and offices, as well as a larger playground, a commercial-style kitchen and conference rooms for parent and teacher meetings.
School officials say it's even more important that the facility will provide an environment conducive to the preschool's learning philosophy, which focuses on physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.
The preschool uses a curriculum that allows children to learn through painting, writing, music and other activities, preschool Director Michele Leeder said.
People are also reading…
The fee-based preschool serves children ages 2 1/2 through 5. Prices range from $215 to $660 per month, Leeder said.
The new building will hold up to 120 children, almost twice the number of the current facility. Sixty-five children are now enrolled at Valley View, she said.
The new $3.9 million facility, near Sunrise and Skyline drives, is expected to open in January, Leeder said.
The money came from a bond election held by the Catalina Foothills School District in November 2004, Community Schools Director Joan Marrs said.
The Catalina Foothills Community Schools Office oversees the operation of the preschool, Marrs said.
The new preschool will be a welcome upgrade over the current facility, a converted house at 5281 N. Valley View Road that sits in the shadow of Catalina Foothills High School, Leeder said.
"We hardly have any private space to have conferences with parents," she said.
The current building, about 4,000 square feet, has four classrooms and limited office space for teachers and staffers.
"We have office space, but it is also a pass-through to get to our classrooms," Leeder said.
The new building will have six classrooms, each with a door leading to the playground, she said. The playground will include a sandbox, a bird-watching area and a small creek with stones that the children can walk on.
The playground's landscaping will blend with the surrounding desert. The school encourages classes to spend at least one hour outside each day, Leeder said.
Marrs said she hopes the playground will encourage the children to explore and use their imagination.
"One of the new focuses of 21st-century learning is looking at what skills kids will need for jobs. Kids will need to be creative problem-solvers and designers," Marrs said.
Marrs and Leeder said they look forward to the increased visibility that will come with the preschool's new location on a major thoroughfare.
"One of the challenges with the current location is that it's a well-kept secret," Marrs said. "This will open it up to more working families."
Parents, as well as teachers and staff members, are looking forward to the move.
"It's exciting that it has more visibility, more classrooms and a playground," parent Laura Belleau said.
Belleau has a 4-year-old son enrolled at the preschool, and her 7- and 20-year-old daughters attended the preschool when they were younger, she said.
"The campus is bigger, with more room for kids to go on nature walks," Belleau said.
Alba Sukkar credited the teachers with keeping the children happy despite the limited space.
"These kids are crammed into spaces, but you don't see them complain or anything," said Sukkar, whose 3-year-old son attends the school.
The increased space at the new building will allow more children to enroll, she said.
"This facility is very necessary," Sukkar said.
