PITTSBURG — After several iterations, a former elementary school in downtown Pittsburg is being renovated to become a state-of-the-art pre-school, according to The Morning Sun.
Built in 1937, the one-story Washington Elementary School accommodated kindergartners through sixth-graders until 1980.
Over the next 40-plus years the building was briefly used as an adult reading center, but mainly sat idle, The Sun reported.
In 2023, Point Forward, a Pittsburg non-profit, purchased the building, which in 2008 had been registered as a national historic landmark.
Today, the building is being renovated into a modern facility. What’s more, a second building is being constructed to create a childcare campus, tending infants to kindergartners, The Sun reported.
The former school, roughly 14,500 square feet, consists of nine classrooms, a nurse’s station, administrative offices, auditorium and kitchen. The new building will consist of almost 6,000 square feet and include five classrooms. The two buildings will be connected by a covered walkway, according to The Sun.
Total capacity is 256 students, with each class having a morning and afternoon session.
The $5.7 million investment will help propel area children’s education, said Shawn Naccarato, vice president for Economic Development and Community Engagement at Pittsburg State University.
“Many kids without pre-school take until third grade before they catch up to those with pre-school,” Naccarato said.
According to The Sun, there are tentative plans for the Point Forward administrators to partner with PSU once the school is up and running.
