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A tour of Bobcat Academy

Gov. Reynolds visits preschoolers, talks with administrators

Preschoolers at Bobcat Academy got to meet Gov. Kim Reynolds as she and Acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg toured the school Friday afternoon. Reynolds read “It’s Okay to be Different” by Todd Parr. She also spoke with Marshalltown Schools administrators about the needs of children in preschool.

Children stared, waved and smiled at some special visitors to Bobcat Academy Friday afternoon as Gov. Kim Reynolds and Acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg stopped by the preschool.

“We’re almost done with our second year of being open,” said Bobcat Academy co-director Amber Young as she and fellow co-director Ashley Johnson led the state leaders through the facility at 1910 S. Center St. “We wanted a really unique atmosphere for the kids, it’s such an important, special time.”

Young described how the private preschool and child care facility began when she and Young teamed up after moving back to Marshalltown after being educated as teachers. Reynolds and Gregg saw several areas of the school, including the indoor courtyard area, several “neighborhood” classrooms, the infant and toddler rooms, a gymnasium area and more.

“We believe in the wonderfulness of multi-age learning, we want the kids to learn, from 2-5 (years old), all together,” Johnson said of the neighborhood-style classes.

Bobcat Academy recently entered into a partnership with the Marshalltown school district to provide free 4-year-old preschool through a state grant. District Director of Instruction Dr. Lisa Stevenson was among the Marshalltown administrators who met with Reynolds after the tour Friday.

“Our incoming kindergarten classes here in Marshalltown are about 70 percent poverty, 70 percent English learners, refugees, kids who are coming in with all kinds of circumstances, who have not benefited from early childhood education,” she said. “There was no way we were going to improve our state report card, get kids where they needed to be by kindergarten unless … truly, miracles would have to happen; we started reaching out, and Bobcat (Academy) was well under development by that point.”

Along with Bobcat Academy, Stevenson said the district as partnered with St. Francis Catholic School and Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) to help draw area children and families to preschool.

“We got the school board on-board, I would say, with how important early-childhood education is,” Stevenson told Reynolds and Gregg during the discussion, adding that free busing for preschool students has helped break one barrier faced by many families wanting their children to attend preschool.

Stevenson also said Marshalltown kindergarten classrooms average about 60-70 percent English language learning (ELL) students, and that adding weighted funding toward language learning in preschool would help improve their education as they move to kindergarten and beyond.

Reynolds said she was impressed with Bobcat Academy, and said she was happy to hear Young and Johnson’s story about starting the school.

“Not only did they take a dream and turn it into reality, but they’re really providing some critical services for families here in Marshalltown,” she said. “They’re to be commended for that and the partnership that they have with the school (district) and with the community.”

Reynolds said it was good to hear that transportation needs were being met, and that preschool children in the district, Bobcat Academy and elsewhere in Marshalltown are provided food while at school.

“I love what I’m seeing, and hopefully this is something that we can see replicated all across the state,” she said.

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Contact Adam Sodders at (641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com

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