A new early-childhood education center born out of a nonprofit partnership opened its doors in Northeast Philadelphia for this school year, bringing quality early-childhood education to an area that didn't have many options before.
Before the Kinder Academy opened on Elgin Avenue just off the intersection of Cottman and Castor avenues, in Rhawnhurst, the building where it's located sat vacant. But now, leaders and organizers who helped to open the early-childhood education center say it will help the neighborhood.
"This is one of the high-density areas that has very little in options for high-quality programming," Leslie Spina, Kinder Academy's executive director, told NBC10's Katy Zachry.
The Kinder Academy, which opened in Rhawnhurst, is the first early-childhood education center built with funds from the William Penn Foundation, The Reinvestment Fund, and the Public Health Management Corp. -- and the nonprofit team is hoping to open more centers just like it. Rhawnhurst was selected for the first center because of its lack of programs for that type of education.
The building that houses the new Kinder Academy now features insulated floors to keep young students warm, sinks and bathrooms in classrooms and LED lighting.
"We want to give families the opportunity to say I have a high-quality center in my neighborhood and my kid is going to flourish there," Spina said.
