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New head start location renovations well underway
A new head start location will open in Mt. Pleasant next school year
MT. PLEASANT — The eager young learners of Tolson Community Action Head Start are abuzz with excitement after taking a field trip to get a first look at the new head start building opening next school year in Mt. Pleasant.
According to Lorna Hood, a teacher at Tolson Head Start, the building remodel is in its final stages and there is “so much excitement and buzz going around town about the new building.”
Similar to the current head start location, the Glenwood Head Start is named after the late Glenwood Tolson who was a founding member of the board of director for Community Action of Southeast Iowa. Tolson was crucial in obtaining the first building used by Community Action to begin two head start locations in Henry County.
Head Start Director Matthew LeClere says the board wanted to continue to honor his important role in bringing head start to the area as they move forward with a new facility.
According to LeClere, this project began with the writing of their five-year grant in 2019.
“We wrote a portion for what we consider to be startup money because we recognize that the Tolson center, while usable, was not ideal,” LeClere explained. “We wanted a better place and during that grant process we were able to secure funds for the purchase and renovation of this new facility.”
The grant covered the total cost of the building and renovations which LeClere said totaled $1,554,102.
Community Action was able to use this grant money to purchase a former plumbing supply location at 302 West Madison Street which they are currently on track to open as the Glenwood Head Start Center for the 2024-2025 school year.
“It was an old building that wasn’t used anymore,” LeClere said. “So, we took the remnant out, tore all the walls down and took it down to the bones.”
LeClere says Wiley and Sons, who won the bid for the project, have done a “spectacular job” and are “flying through” getting the building ready.
The building will include an industrial kitchen, which is currently separate from classrooms at the Tolson Center. It also will include two head start classrooms and one early head start classroom.
Additionally, the new building will feature secure locks, camera systems, a front office area, public restrooms, a break room, and a conference room.
“When parents come, they’ll come to the front door and there is a secure area,” LeClere explained. “As they walk into the secure area they will buzz the doorbell essentially and it activates a ring-like camera and the teacher can see the face of the parent and buzz the door open so they can walk down to the classroom.”
Each classroom will have access to a new playground area, a kitchenette area for preparing family style meals, and bathrooms with half doors to keep eyes on the students.
“Right outside this door, there's a concrete deck so they can so they can go out there and you know, have outdoor classroom kind of kind of activities,” LeClere excitedly showed as he gave a tour of one of the head start classrooms.
The head start rooms also will participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program which encourages family-style dining where the students serve themselves and learn important skills which will carry over into elementary school.
“Most of the prep takes place in the kitchen, but there’s a countertop and a sink and a little area that they can do some prep,” LeClere said.
LeClere is excited for the work on the new building to begin wrapping up this spring. As the work completes, they will slowly begin to move classroom materials over to the new building to prepare for next school year.
Not only do the upgrades to classrooms make LeClere excited for the Glenwood Head Start Center, but the location adds to the excitement as well.
“It’s more in a neighborhood,” LeClere said. “It is a lot closer in proximity to downtown. So, there is just a lot more room for walking trips, and a lot of opportunities for early head start kids to take walks, too, because there sidewalk which goes all the way around.”
In fact, part of the project included replacing part of the sidewalk so it could be more accessible for walking with the students.
Additionally, the more centralized location will make it the center more easily accessible to families getting their young scholars to school.
According to LeClere, the Glenwood Head Start Center will remain part of head starts federally funded to serve as preschools for ages three to five that are primarily in poverty.
“So there are some there are income guidelines, along with our preschool,” LeClere explained. “To be eligible one has to be at 100% of poverty. So, we serve the most needy children. If somebody has SNAP benefits, they categorically are qualified.”
While those with SNAP benefits are automatically qualified, that does not mean that some other families might not also meet the income guidelines. LeClere encourages any family that thinks they might qualify to reach out to the Tolson Center for more information.
“We’re currently taking applications and actually have openings still for this year,” LeClere said.
