District 203's Early Childhood Center ready for opening day

The days of Naperville Unit District 203 spreading its early childhood education program across five locations are over with the completion of the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center.

District officials walked through the recently completed $11 million facility, near the Huntington Estates neighborhood, with media members Friday morning.

Principal Jeannie Matula, who oversaw the previous program, raved about her new 48,000-square-foot facility.

"Just look how beautiful it is. The place is just gorgeous," she said. "It's welcoming and I love the colors, the natural light and the windows that allow children to look out and be connected to what's going on outside."

Inside, the 13 teachers and numerous assistants will serve children with special needs as well as "typical" peers who pay tuition.

Sixteen classrooms, only 13 of which will be used initially, have been divided into four "neighborhoods" with a multipurpose room in the middle of the building.

The classrooms are designed to be flexible spaces for large or small group work. Windows at varying heights will provide natural light and give even small children a view of the gardens outside as well as a peek into the hallway. Each classroom will have a nearby bathroom, office and storage space.

"We're having to adjust to being in a space that we can grow into," Matula said, as teachers prepared their classrooms. "I think everyone is used to making due with (saying) 'We'll fit this here' and people are now having to rethink actually having room to do different activities. It's wonderful."

She hopes the staff will take advantage of its new proximity.

"We didn't have everyone together (in the past). We had some schools that may have had only one early childhood teacher all by herself and no real team member," Matula said. "So just being able to work together and not rely on meeting via e-mail is going to be real exciting."

The early childhood center is the district's first green building, having already achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for measures ranging from energy efficiency to pavers designed to absorb bus fumes, to a garden on the roof above the teachers' offices.

The school, named after a longtime special education educator and administrator who died in 2008 after battling cancer, is part of $114.9 million in construction projects around the district. In a 2008 referendum question, taxpayers authorized the district to issue $43 million in bonds to help pay for the work.