Friday, March 29, 2024

CrossTown Preschool to host open house June 26

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After being closed for three months, CrossTown Preschool is back open and will host its open house from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 26, at 1400 N. Meadows Drive.

During the winter storm on Feb. 13, CrossTown Preschool experienced flooding throughout the building.

“One of our sprinkler heads broke,” said Mary Strickland, preschool director. “It was freezing cold. We had the doors open and we were just sweeping water out. We’ve had floods before, but this was terrible.”

Ceilings were collapsing and water was pouring into classrooms and spreading throughout the preschool. Oddly enough, however, the water stopped right before it reached Our Savior Lutheran Church’s sanctuary.

The staff at CrossTown Preschool spent the rest of February drying out the building so renovations could start in March.

“They had to put up new drywall, put in new flooring and everything was repainted,” Strickland said. “Every classroom, every wall, every ceiling was repainted. Our teachers got to pick out the classroom colors, so everything is a little bit different.”

May 24 was the first day that teachers and staff were allowed back into the building. The school’s open house this Saturday (June 26) will celebrate the reopening and the unveiling of the renovations.

“We're just going to open up the building to the public and let kids and families know we're open again and we're available. We're here. Come look at us. We're new and shiny, right?” Strickland said, chuckling.

ABOUT CROSSTOWN PRESCHOOL

CrossTown Preschool began in August 2002 after Our Savior Lutheran Church moved to its current location.

“The church was located across the street from Walmart, and we outgrew it,” Strickland said. “We found this piece of land here and our pastor at the time wanted us to be in a neighborhood. He wanted us to be by the school and be part of this community here, so we built the church in 2002. One of the goals was to have a preschool so that we can minister to kids, families and the community.”

The church opened the preschool that summer for children ages six weeks to five years.

At first, the preschool was only open from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but soon expanded its hours from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In the fall of 2013, the preschool incorporated an infant room and the decision was made to stay open year-round.

Each teacher is certified in CPR and first aid, and they each receive a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education every year.

For pre-K age children, teachers at CrossTown Preschool teach from a Horizons curriculum, which gets students ready for kindergarten as they do pre-writing, writing, pre-reading and reading exercises.

"Usually, when my kiddos go to kindergarten, you have to take some kind of assessment test to get into kindergarten and my kids blow it out of the water," Strickland said. “They're ready. They're leaders. They know how to sit and listen and they can write their names. Some of them are reading. It varies for every child, but they stand out.”

For the younger children, they are taught from a Frog Street curriculum that is “very much hands-on.”

“We have a lot to offer,” Strickland added. “We offer different things from what other centers have. We have smaller class ratios, so we can give more individual attention to our kids. That one-on-one is important.”

CrossTown Preschool is currently open this summer, where parents can choose their own schedule: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. or 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

For more information or to enroll your child into CrossTown Preschool, visit their website (crosstownpreschool.com) or call 817-776-2074.