GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- When it opens next Wednesday, a new early childhood center will serve as the largest piece of the St. Paul the Apostle Parish and school's Together We Grow Capital Campaign.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this Sunday at 11 a.m. in advance of the center's opening Wednesday, which will be the first day of school.
The Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids says in a news release that the $4.72 million campaign includes $2.1 million for the Early Childhood Center (which includes the purchase price of the building), $1.6 million for an innovative flex space within the school for parish and school activities, $125,000 for liturgical improvements, and $840,000 for site infrastructure costs. To date, parishioners and school families have pledged $4.23 million toward the goal.
Owen Ames Kimball led the construction effort, and the architectural work was completed by AMDG Architects. Construction got underway in late March 2023.
More details from the Diocese news release:
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The parish and school community of St. Paul the Apostle will cut the ribbon on their new early childhood center on Sunday, August 20 at 11 a.m. The Center has four classrooms that will accommodate child care for children ages 1-5, along with an early childhood center director's office. In addition, the building has a gathering space for activities and events, and indoor and outdoor play spaces for children. More than 60 kids will learn and grow in the new space as part of the school’s early childhood programs. The building is located on the northwest corner of the parish property (2750 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI).
St. Paul's preschool program began in the 1980s. The program has grown and evolved over the years in response to the needs of the community. In 2020, St. Paul began offering full-day programming for ages 3-5. The following year, St. Paul introduced SPAcare enrolling children beginning at age one. With the exponential growth came the need for more space – the school used portable classrooms for the last two years before purchasing the new early childhood building from Hope Network in the fall of 2022. At this time, St. Paul has a waitlist in excess of 70 students for children from age one to grade eight.
“My heart is full of gratitude for the parishioners and school families who have supported this capital campaign to help build our early childhood center and improve our site to accommodate for this major addition,” said Father Peter Damian, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish. “I am overjoyed that we can continue to welcome more families into our community through this new building. We kick off the parish year of the National Eucharistic Revival by serving the littlest ones in Jesus’ name, and together with their families, seek to bring them to Him, who is the source and summit of everything we do at St. Paul the Apostle.”
“This new building is designed to meet the developmental milestones of our earliest learners,” said Michelle Morrow, principal of St. Paul the Apostle. “I am excited to watch them explore this new environment and grow into faithful disciples.”
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