West Liberty School District holds ribbon cutting for early learning center

“We wanted to create an opportunity to invite the public into the building to see the new school additions to the district,” District Communications Management Assistant Kara Kruse said before the open house. She said, “We wanted to give parents and students time at the beginning of the year to learn what will happen in the new building and establish procedures before deciding to hold a community night.”

After some delays due to supply chain constraints, the early learning center was completed in late summer before the 2023-2024 school year.

“We were able to start teaching our preschoolers in the new early learning center on August 28th. The students absolutely love it… it’s great just having the new building, which is so bright and open.” said Kruse.

The new early learning center was built as part of a long-term plan to accommodate the growing number of students in the community, the district said. West Liberty serves 170 preschool and kindergarten students.

To benefit these young students, the early learning center was given larger classrooms and overall space, as well as a modern, ADA-compliant building design. Early learning students will also have the opportunity to enjoy a new playground led by Kariyah Morrison, a school nurse. West Liberty Foods and the Ryan Trust also helped fund the playground project.

In an official statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that in addition to the learning center being developmentally suitable for young students and having blacktop and ample green space, the play area also includes a sensory-sensitive play area and a disabled-accessible play area. He emphasized that early learning is possible for all. Pupils will have the opportunity to play and learn in a new playground.

“We are a small town, but our schools serve children with special needs from the age of three,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a public press release. “We have several students with autism, sensory processing disorders, and communication delays, and some are wheelchair dependent due to cerebral palsy. We want to create an inclusive environment for play.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked West Liberty Foods and the Ryan Trust for funding the playground.

“Without the donation, the basic facilities would have been great for most of the pre-school and kindergarten students. Now it’s great that they can all play together in the same area,” she said. Ta. “I cannot thank the Ryan Trust Board and WLF enough for making this happen.”

The new early learning center is just the latest in recently completed district projects. In addition to the center, the entire preschool building at the elementary school was renovated. A raised garden was also added to the middle school’s courtyard, and new technology was added to the auditorium to improve the venue for events and allow for the option to live stream school events.

Looking forward, the district remains focused on completing the new athletic facility, with funding remaining and currently scheduled for a ribbon cutting in spring 2024. Although the soccer field and stadium itself are complete, activities director Adam Loria said: The remainder of the complex is still a large construction area and could pose a safety risk if public access is allowed at this time.

For more information on these and upcoming district projects, residents can visit the West Liberty Community School District Facebook page or its website at https://www.wl.k12.ia.us/.