A crowd of children filled the main hallway of Seedlings Preschool Center in Dubuque on Tuesday morning. Some of the children clung to their parents, who adjusted the backpacks on the students’ small shoulders. Others greeted their new preschool teachers with waves or hesitant smiles.
“Good morning, Scarlett,” teacher Erin Heims said to a girl wearing a blue dress patterned with balloons. “Can I put a name tag on you, so we don’t get anyone mixed up today?” Scarlett nodded. Her mother, Hailey Runde, gave the 4-year-old a hug before bidding her farewell, and Scarlett joined the line of students standing by Heims.
“Do you guys feel like big kids now?” Heims asked the youngsters. “You’re doing so great.” The students were beginning their school year at Dubuque Community School District’s new preschool center, which opened its doors to students on Tuesday.
Seedlings Preschool Center is located at the Bright Minds Campus, the former Medline facility at 7900 Chavenelle Road. It spans about 15,000 square feet of the building, which also houses Dubuque Y Early Learning Center and a planned 911 operations center shared by the city of Dubuque and Dubuque County. The preschool center includes 10 classrooms, three sensory rooms, a serving kitchen and cafeteria commons and offices, along with a playground and green space.
The district owns its portion of the building, with additional space available for purchase if the district eventually needs to expand Seedlings..