A River Forest preschool took the opportunity to address the Forest Park School District 91 Board of Education during a special board meeting Wednesday evening to discuss the possibility of a partnership that would allow the preschool to keep its doors open. 

Earlier this month, Dominican University announced that the Rose K Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education would be closing its door June 14, following a decision by Fenwick High School, who purchased the property from the university, to act upon an initial exit clause and close the center after two years from the purchase. 

The news caused a stir among Goedert families, who are now left scrambling to find another location for their children to attend preschool. While many parents are still trying to secure spots at other local preschools, some are also trying to scout locations that the center would be able to lease to keep the Goedert community together. 

During the special open board of education meeting for Forest Park School District 91 held on Wednesday evening, Sarah Thomas, early childhood education director, asked the board to consider the preschool as they work through the different possible use options for Grant-White, which was closed at the end of the 2021-22 school year due to declining enrollment. 

In her pitch, Thomas provided the board information regarding their quarterly assessments along with a brief history of the center and information on the need for early childhood education in the area. 

The preschool has 92 students enrolled in five classrooms, which are at full capacity. Thomas also said the preschool has a waitlist of approximately 150 students each semester. 

Center officials said they hope to be able to lease the ground floor of Grant-White, which would allow the district to use the other areas of the building. 

“We believe this could be an incredible opportunity to merge and support the broader community with a lasting and significant positive impact on the immediate future and long-term welfare of the children that we serve,” Thomas said. 

Dominican University board member and president and CEO of the West Cook YMCA, Phillip Jimenez, was also in attendance to speak on the behalf of the Goedert Center. In the spirit of being a good tenant should the space be leased to Goedert, Jimenez said the preschool would consider any growth or desire from D91 to retake the space in the future as long as enough time notice was given to allow them to relocate. 

“We don’t want you to feel, like we have heard in other meetings, that it could be an objective,” Jimenez said. 

But no decision was once again made during the meeting by the board, who have already heard multiple proposals for the use of the space including from the Park District of Forest Park, a proposal by village officials to use the space as a youth center, and a proposal by the West Suburban Special Recreation Association, who was also present at the meeting on Wednesday night, once again pitching WSSRA as an option to the board. 

The board has also held a Grant-White Harvest community listening session in early October to get more input from the community on what they would like to see be done with the building. 

The board members, however, did use the special meeting to come to start hashing out what they do want to see the space used for, something that had not really been done until that evening. 

“There will be a plan, I promise, we will be very thorough but this is the first [step],” said Shannon Wood, president of the board of education. “People just keep coming with ideas and we don’t know what we want so this is the step to direct that.” 

Board members took turns describing what they would want to see in the space which included a space to support the arts, a space to support Forest Park community organizations-such as the theater program-, programs with an emphasis on children, mental health resources, and a multi-use space amongst others. 

“What I want to see is something that serves as much of our community as possible,” said board member Kyra Tyler. “I want to fill holes that we don’t currently have [filled] in our community.”

Also mentioned was a space that would be able to accommodate the return of D91 students who receive special education and the 17 therapeutic students currently enrolled in the district. 

While ideas were tossed around, board members seemed to agree that there needs to be a sense of priority given to D91 students. 

“I think that if all of the presentations and people that came here to talk about what they would like to do, I honestly believe it is about establishing trust and meeting the needs of people who are underprivileged but I also think that we cannot forget the people who are in our district now,” said Fuquan Brooks, saying he met a parent while campaigning who was very upset that her special needs child needed to go outside of the district to receive an education. “We are in a place where we cannot accommodate everyone and we really do need to sit back and think about what lines we will meet for our children. I am hesitant to give up this space.” 

Another option for the space that board members seemed to agree with was moving the district office, which is currently on Des Plaines Avenue, to the Grant-White building. 

Conversations regarding the future of Grant-White by the board will be ongoing with no date set yet on when a decision will be reached.