April 13, 2023 — With wall-to-wall sunshine on this unseasonably warm April day, it was a perfect time to capture a photo of Chardon Early Learning Center's newly affixed exterior signage reflecting the school's new name. The school's current name — renamed from Maple School (also known as Maple Elementary School) in June 2021 — was approved by the Ohio Educational Delivery System's Office of Accountability at that time and formally approved by the Chardon Board of Education in November 2022.
The renaming of the school, located at 308 Maple Avenue, was undertaken to better unify the building's two early childhood programs — pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. The preschool program has occupied the building since the 2018-2019 school year, while the District's Kindergarten program — housed exclusively at Park Elementary and Munson Elementary following the 2018 reconfiguration — was moved to the Maple building at the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Among the benefits of having both pre-K and Kindergarten in one are:
- An early childhood culture building-wide
- More opportunities for cross classroom instruction
- Increased targeted intervention specific to the needs of 5- and 6-year-old students
- Positive behavior supports aligned to 3- to 6-year-old students
- Aligned curriculum and instruction between all classrooms
Adjacent to the exterior building sign depicting the school's new name is the Tiny Toppers logo as the school houses the youngest Hilltoppers of all!
Historians will be pleased to know that the much-loved maple leaf on the school — which dates back to when Maple Elementary School was established — remains affixed to the front of the building now with the new building name.
A special thank you to Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs Steven Kofol and his staff and CELC principal Andrea Ryan and her staff for planning and facilitating the school's new signage.
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Contact:
Kelly Misch
Communications Director
Chardon Local Schools
440.286.0409