A few years ago, Oklahoma City public schools closed more than dozens of school buildings.
That was part of Reorganization Process In the right-sized student population from the district within the school, some were overcrowded and others were not registered – and to make the school experience better and more consistent for urban students.
But what about all those empty buildings?
This is a question that many district leaders across the country are currently asking themselves. As Registration has decreased This is because some public schools have been adopting alternative educational environments such as virtual schools, homeschooling and private schools since the pandemic. Low birth rate;and Population shift That has given birth to far fewer children than many years ago. Many districts have decided to consolidate student populations and close school buildings.
So what?
“When the buildings were open, they could be dangerous spaces and we didn’t want it to happen,” says Stephanie Hinton, executive director of early childhood at Oklahoma City Public Schools.
One idea that has been established in many districts: reuse these empty school buildings for early care and education centres.
It’s a natural fit, says Aaron Lowenberg, a senior policy analyst at the Education Policy Program at New America, a think tank.
These buildings are often easy and centrally located within the community, with large parking lots and are already zoned for educational purposes, Lowenberg said. They are usually also former elementary schools. This means that some aspects of the original classroom and building design can accommodate younger learners.
“From a district’s perspective, I would rather earn a little more rent income than having corrupt assets,” explains Lowenberg.
Meanwhile, there is a serious supply shortage in the areas of early care and education. There are most parts of the country There are too few spots All children from birth to five years old need them. It has tens of thousands of families left behind Work schedule has been suspended Children who do not have access to high quality early learning experiences.
“If done correctly, it could be a win-win,” says Loewenberg.
From one community service to another
That’s what Oklahoma City education leaders thought. Several schools that the district closed in 2019 have since become early learning programs sites.
One former school, Gatewood Elementary School, became the Gatewood Early Learning Center in 2021, with eight classrooms serving toddlers, toddlers and preschoolers.
Gatewood will prioritize the spot for children in district staff. This is the benefits of key employees that Hinton has long requested that he has begun offering to the district as a way to stay competitive with surrounding school districts.
“It’s really hard to find affordable childcare,” she says.
Another Former elementary school The district, known as Pierce, has been leased to Sunbeam Family Services, a long-term nonprofit organization in the area that offers early childhood education and family-friendly wrap-around support services.
Sunbeam has renovated the space, built 14 childhood classrooms and created all new parenting slots in parts of the city that require much access to high-quality early education programming. (Sunbeam was later leased and renovated) Second vacant elementary school The district is creating 12 new childhood classrooms. )
According to those who did that, converting these elementary schools into developmentally appropriate early learning spaces is not a small amount of work. But it’s worth it.
Elementary schools are taxpayer-funded buildings built and operated by community services, Hinton notes. Many district leaders hope that the building will have a second life that will benefit the community as well.
Additionally, spaces are different from those found in early learning classes elsewhere, says Paula Gates, Sunbeam Chief Program Officer.
“These classrooms are huge because they are built for 25 sophomore,” she says. “We’re getting this area to create a truly beautiful classroom environment for 12 toddlers or 3-year-olds, 18.”
“The extra space for us is not a burden. It’s a profit,” adds her colleague Andrew Norton, senior director of Sunbeam facilities.
The cost of leasing and renovating vacant school buildings is high, and Sunbeam has invested $2.2 million in the Pierce location, which is a better deal than if they had built a new building.
“Before you, it would have been exponentially more expensive for us to do it. [factor in] Land costs,” Norton says.
Under construction
Not every remodeled K-12 school building will raise millions of price tags, but costs are certainly a key issue, says Todd Hays, senior vice president of Lakeshore Learning Materials.
An upgrade at Gatewood, an Oklahoma City location that serves district staff children, costs around $150,000, Hinton says.
Hayes said the average cost of dressing for a high-quality early learning classroom is around $25,000.
Buildings have a variety of needs. Some older school buildings may require, for example, all new HVAC systems and modern plumbing, but renovations tend to share some characteristics.
The main change required is the bathroom.
In early learning classes, it is standard to have a private bathroom inside. Toddlers and young children in kindergarten classrooms tend to get potty training and are not old enough to leave their rooms, down the hall and into public bathrooms with food stalls.
Toddlers’ classrooms can be accessed without a bathroom. Because those kids are still in the diapers, but other rooms need to add a bathroom and sink. (The previous kindergarten classrooms may already have indoor bathrooms, but in these cases, the toilet may need to be lowered.)
Another important feature is playground access, particularly as outdoor time is a regular component of most early learning programs, according to Emily McGowan, director of product services at Lakeshore Learning.
“I want to be thoughtful about how students are placed in the building so I don’t take 20 3-year-olds from the furthest classroom to the front door,” she adds.
Two empty primary school buildings converted into Tucson Unified School District, Arizona Early Learning Center In 2014, the playground equipment had to be replaced, making it suitable for the age and development stages of younger children, says Reem Kievit, senior director of community schools.
The same goes for classroom furniture. Built-in cubbys should be suitable for small children. Individual desks may be replaced for a shared table.
“Beautiful, wonderful”
Another challenge to turn K-12 space into childhood space is finding enough staff to fill the classroom.
Educators have been for a long time Rare resources In the field of early care and education, new spaces do not change automatically.
“We have an insane waitlist for toddlers and 1 year olds,” says Kiev of Tucson. “Staffing is a barrier [because] They are not certified teachers who are paid a certified salary of $60,000 a year. ”
However, many of the districts that run the early childhood programs themselves, including two programs in Oklahoma City, Gatewood and Tucson Unified, employ early childhood educators directly. Their wages aren’t comparable to primary school teachers, but they’re more competitive than what their local private programs offer, says Hinton and Keewitt.
And early childhood educators have access to district benefits. This is a big draw. In Tucson, this includes perks such as paid leave, sick leave and health insurance.
“We’re a school district so there are a few pieces that will help us recruit,” adds Hinton.
Despite some challenges, these early childhood programs are generally a community boon.
“We regularly receive calls and emails from teachers in our district who attract students to promote from Pre-K to kindergarten,” Kievit said. “They are in awe of how well these kids are prepared.”
“It’s beautiful, it’s amazing,” she adds. “My family is always happy.”
Lowenberg of New America sees these programs as an opportunity for school districts to “capture” their families early and give them a sense of part of the school community.
In Tucson, approximately 80% to 90% of families attending one of the two district-run early childhood centres will opt for a unified Tucson at their children’s kindergarten. For her, that means early learning programs for students and families in the district “play an important role in recruitment and retention.”
Some early successes – and more school closures probably Going the Road – Lowenberg and others believe they will continue to see more of these types of transformations.
“It’s not gone,” he says. “This is something we’re talking about more.”
