Around 80 pre-schoolers and their remarkable teachers are in an inadequate educational space in a standalone building off of 2nd Street in Washington known as Stewart West. As the pre-school programs at Stewart continue to excel and gain students, the need for a new facility, and one attached to the main Stewart Elementary School, has become apparent.

Some of the issues with the Stewart West building:

• Parking is not sufficient and the lack of a pick-up drop-off space is dangerous for pre-schoolers and drivers.

• To attend lunch, assemblies, and special classes such as Music, P.E., Art, and Library, pre-schoolers have to walk over 83 yards, or 5/6 of a football field, outside to get to the main Stewart building. This has to be done even in the pouring rain or blowing snow. Sometimes this can mean 3-4 trips per day for 4 year olds, which adds up to walking the distance of 5 football fields. This also means 6-8 times when learning has to stop so children can get bundled into seasonal attire. For this reason, the children eat lunch in their coats and hats in the winter.
• Stewart West was not originally built as a school building so it was not built to fit the needs of students or teachers. It is not a flexible space that can change as educational needs change.
• The building itself has some issues such as low water pressure and insufficient space for the growing pre-school.
• The classrooms do not have individual restrooms so 3- and 4-year olds are having to quickly learn how to use the restroom in a shared facility and often have to wait in line to go potty.

Even given all of these difficulties, the pre-school teachers and principal at Stewart Elementary School have developed a strong program that is giving young children in the area a wonderful start to their education. Imagine how much more can be accomplished if they are given a facility that can meet their needs and the needs of their students!