Schools

New Campus Under Construction in Riverview for Kids Community College

The charter school also is adding the area's first elementary International Baccalaureate Program.

In its continued commitment to serve the students of the Riverview area, Kid's Community Colllege is building a new state-of-the-art facility and is adding an elementary International Baccalaureate program.

Last week, the Hillsborough County School Board unanimously approved the charter application for a new Kid's Community College facility.

The new two-story 50,000-square-foot facility is now under construction just west of Lowe's Home Improvement Center on Gibsonton Drive and Maghog Road in Riverview. Expected to be completed in July, it will house the existing Kid's Community College elementary and middle schools, now located in Lake St. Charles in Riverview, along with a new preschool. The existing Lake St. Charles facility will become a preschool only, according to Kid's Community College founder Timothy Kilpatrick.

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The new school will feature oversized classrooms offering smart boards, a 3,600-square-foot “cafetorium” and music, science and technology labs.

In addition, earlier this month, the school board gave Kid's Community College the go-ahead to launch the area's first International Baccalaureate program for elementary students. There are currently only two such elementary IB programs in Hillsborough County and 24 in the state, said Kilpatrick.

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

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.

"We plan to build a new 30,000-square-foot facility for the IB program but it won’t be ready until January 2013," said Kilpatrick. The new IB facility will be located off Balm-Riverview south of Riverview High School.

Kilpatrick said the expansion plan aligns with the Multiple Intelligence approach currently employed by all Kid’s Community College schools.

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

"We've been planning this expansion for about six years now," said Kilpatrick, "and we're really excited that it's now coming to fruition."

The new charter school on Gibsonton Drive will accommodate 636 students, said Kilpatrick.

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

In addition, Kid's Community College is opening another campus in Orlando, said Kilpatrick.

The combined Riverview projects will create at least 30 new jobs and provide individual, multiple intelligence-based learning opportunities for nearly 750 students.

“Expansions such as these not only offer new professional opportunities in a industry recently besieged by cutbacks and layoffs, but it also encourages economic stimulus in a local rural community that is experiencing its fair share of financial challenges,” said Kilpatrick. “Our public nonprofit charter schools are tuition free and were founded locally by residents of this community to serve this community and that means a great deal to us.

“The fulfillment of this strategic growth reinforces our commitment and dedication to the well-being and educational success of the students and communities we serve and to providing more jobs and high-quality learning options in rural Hillsborough County," he added. "Early on, we made a commitment to the families of Riverview and the surrounding communities and we’re living up to that promise.”

Director of middle charter school operations, Karen Seder, attributes the continued growth and success of the organization to a continued focus on putting children first while addressing community needs and placing a high value on the associates of the company.

“Being able to work hand-in-hand with our board, students, parents and the Riverview community has allowed us all to grow and bring a long-term, high-quality educational vision into clearer focus," she said.

Competition for the open teaching and student positions is expected to be great. The high-performing educational institution expects enrollment to fill quickly.

“The children in our program are individually motivated and encouraged to perform at an advanced level, are held to a higher standard and we enjoy an extremely high satisfaction rating with our parents,” said Kilpatrick.

The new pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade facility anticipates 125 openings for the 2012 school year. 

Open enrollment for both campuses will begin this month for the August openings. Parents interested in enrolling are encouraged to apply early by visitingwww.kidscc.org/register or stop by the Riverview elementary campus. Interested educators can apply online at www.kidscc.org/careers. Campus information, including artist renderings of the new campuses, can be found at www.kidscc.org/campuses.


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