Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) administrators are considering the former Orchard Park Elementary campus as a new location for preschool programs. At the school board meeting on October 28, Assistant Superintendent Tom Oestreich and Early Childhood Coordinator Mary Podany presented a proposal to build a new facility near 106th Street and Westfield Boulevard. This center would accommodate the district’s existing Edu-Care and developmental preschool programs, with the potential to add a community pre-K option.
Oestreich, who will become the superintendent in summer 2025, anticipates that state funding for early childhood programs will become available. He emphasized the need for CCS to prepare for this possibility. “A new early learning center is essential for our district. Investing in our preschool children in Carmel is crucial,” he stated.
Podany highlighted the demand for the Edu-Care program, which offers childcare to young children of full-time CCS employees. Currently, there is a waitlist of 153 students. The developmental preschool program serves 203 students across five CCS sites.
Centralizing these services would not only allow for expansion but also foster collaboration among preschool teachers and enhance interactions between students in the developmental program and their typically developing peers.
Several school board members showed support for the proposal. Jennifer Nelson-Williams pointed out that neighboring districts already have early learning centers. “If we let Washington Township and Westfield lead in this area, we are doing our community a disservice. We need to show that we welcome young families,” she said.
The school board did not vote on the proposal during the meeting. Oestreich noted that if the board is interested in proceeding, CCS will create a more detailed plan for the center and its funding.
Orchard Park Elementary closed after the 2020-21 school year. The district had considered turning the site into a park or renovating parts of the building for the Edu-Care program. However, these plans were halted due to a legal challenge from an organization aiming to open a charter school in the building, which claimed it could acquire the facility for $1 under a state law. The legal issue was ultimately resolved in favor of CCS.
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