Kid's Community College to Host Ribbon Cutting for New Charter School

The new Riverview campus of Kid's Community College Charter School will get a jump on the new school year today when its hosts a ribbon-cutting and flag-raising ceremony.

Led by the Riverview High School Marching Band and Jr. ROTC Color Guard, Kid’s Community College Charter School students and supporters will parade to the new campus at 10030 Mathog Rd., Riverview, from the parking lot of Lowe's Home Improvement Center, 10425 Gibsonton Dr., starting at 10 a.m.

Once there, the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce will assist in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

The community is invited to join in the walk to celebrate the opening of the new 49,000-square-foot Riverview campus in which both the elementary campus (previously located on Lake St. Charles Boulevard) and the middle school campus (located on U.S. 301 in Riverview) will be combined.

Kid's Community College broke ground on the new facility in January, just weeks after receiving approval from the Hillsborough County School Board to create a new charter school.

The new state-of-the-art facility will house 636 students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.

"We kept the population small for individualized learning, although the classrooms are large," said founder Timothy Kilpatrick. "It's just the right thing to do for the students."

The new school, which sits on 4.5 acres, features oversized classrooms with smart boards, a 3,600-square-foot “cafetorium” and music, science and technology labs.

The nationally accredited charter school off Gibsonton Drive will accommodate 636 students, said Kilpatrick.

Kid’s Community College opened its doors in 2003 on Lake St. Charles Boulevard.

New Preschool

In addition to housing the charter school, the new facility on Mathog Road will be home to the new 5,000-square-foot Kid's Community College Riverview South Preschool.

The new preschool, slated to open Aug. 29, will accommodate 75 students age 6 weeks to 5 years (preschool) and up to age 12 (after school).

The preschool will feature a year-round extended day program from 6:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Accredited by the National Association of Child Care Providers as a School Readiness Provider, the preschool also will offer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) during the school year and summer.

“We dedicate ourselves to the well-being and educational success of every child in our care,” said Vandrese Williams, franchise owner of the new Kid’s Community College Riverview South Preschool. “It is our mission to deliver top-rated high-quality care-giving services while providing higher learning, community enrichment and promoting cultural diversity.”

Williams is also the owner of the Kid’s Community College Lake Saint Charles Preschool, which has received a perfect VPK School Readiness Score three times and maintains a 4-Star rating with the Quality Counts for Kids program.

“My husband and I have always been impressed with the Kid’s Community College educational system, even when our own children attended the preschool years ago. KCC is a product we know, trust and believe in. We are excited to expand our business with our second KCC franchise,” said Williams.

The Kid's Community College Riverview South preschool will introduce students to computer technology, music and movement, and the Spanish language. In addition, separate playgrounds are offered, securely fenced and furnished with age-appropriate playground equipment.

Students will receive care from credentialed staff who incorporate individualized instruction with a low student/teacher ratio. The staff will use KCC’s 1st Degree Learning System, which targets the strengths and development areas of each student.

Families can register their children online at www.kidscc.org/Campus/RiverviewSouthPreschool. For more information, contact Erin Masserini at emasserini@kidscc.org or 813-671-0828

International Baccalaureate Program

Kid's Community College also is opening the area's first International Baccalaureate program for elementary students. There are currently only two such elementary IB programs in Hillsborough County.

IB programs promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge.

KKC is building a new 30,000-square-foot facility for the IB program on Balm-Riverview Road, which is expected to be completed in January 2013.

In the meantime, the new PYP (or elementary) IB program will be located temporarily at the Kid's Community College's existing middle school facility on U.S. 301 in Riverview.

The IB program, which will open Aug. 21, will open with 108 students. By the third year, Kid's Community College expects to have 348 students enrolled.