Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is investing nearly $30 million in local early childhood education through the Barbara Vick Early Childhood & Family Center. The Vick Center will be expanded at its current location, 2554 W. 113th St., a satellite location will be created at 9901 S. Western, and a new modular for early childhood education will be constructed at Clissold Elementary School, 110th and Western.
The Barbara Vick Village Early Childhood & Family Center satellite currently operates at 3001 W. 59th St.
“From language development to overall health, research consistently finds that what happens in a child’s earliest years is most important for development, growth, and long-term well-being,” 19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea wrote in a recent email blast announcing the CPS investment. “Allocation of resources to early childhood programs is crucial. Expansion at Barbara Vick is especially impactful because it offers a unique blended classroom environment providing services to both young children with developmental disabilities and their typically developing peers.”
At the Barbara Vick Early Childhood Center, CPS will add four classrooms, a new multi-purpose room, two offices, a faculty workroom and two storage rooms. The project also includes updates to the main school building, a new parking lot, landscaping improvements, and additional stormwater management. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall and take approximately one year to complete.
CPS purchased the building at 9901 S. Western to renovate into a Barbara Vick Early Childhood Center satellite facility. The new facility will include six early childhood classrooms with office space in the basement and on the second floor and is projected to open in fall 2023.
At Clissold School, CPS will construct a standalone six classroom modular that will support expanded pre-k and early childhood opportunities for local students. In addition, Clissold will receive a new playlot, full renovation of the existing four-classroom modular and the kitchen in the main building, and a new lunchroom. The parking lot will be enlarged to include more landscaping and stormwater management elements. Work is expected to start in late 2022.
“These projects will provide greater access to early childhood education for residents of our community. I’d like to thank CEO Pedro Martinez and his team at CPS for making this incredible investment in our community. I look forward to continued partnership to make our community strong for the future,” Ald. O’Shea wrote.
