Spurred By School Closings, Green Lane School to Introduce Kindergarten

Following turmoil in local public and parochial schools, in Roxborough intends to fill a gap. With an open house Wednesday, the school is set to debut its new kindergarten program starting in the fall.

Located at (but not affiliated with) , the school currently hosts kids from 20 months old to pre-K age. Starting in the 2012-13 school year, Director Lauren Trimbur said Green Lane will expand to kindergarten.

"With all of the changes in the area, our families here started the ball rolling. We saw a need for it," she said.

In the past, Green Lane had a kindergarten. So reinstating it always was an option. The coupled with a consolidated at the current Holy Child campus spurred Green Lane to bring back kindergarten.

"We wanted to jump on the opportunity. Our parents threw the idea out there, and we just took it and ran with it," she said. "I think I always had a vision for it to grow, but we jumped on it quicker (than I anticipated)."

A Green Lane Kindergarten

Located on the wide and bright Green Lane, right off Ridge Avenue, the school attracts a crowd that likes to walk to school. Trimbur said it's mostly Roxborough and Manayunk families, though some come from Lower Merion, Narberth or other nearby towns.

Trimbur began working for the school in June 2011. However, she's immersed in Roxborough. With her husband, she owns on Mitchell Street, and had a daughter attend the school before taking it over.

What drew her to the school initially was the community and experience. Fran DiGiovanni, more commonly known as "Mrs. D," has worked at Green Lane for 20 years and is the pre-K program head teacher. The school itself opened 40 years ago.

"It's a local staff and local families. For a lot of people, their kids went here, their grandchildren went here," she said. "This building has great character. It has a lot of nooks and crannies, and I think that's appealing to a lot of families. It's a cozy place."

Recently, the school extended its pre-K program to go full day, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The kindergarten will have the same hours, and students will also be eligible for the after-school program, which goes to 5 p.m.

For tuition, the pre-K and kindergarten will cost $4,150 annually, with additional rates for afterschool or summer programing.

In addition to the new kindergarten, Green Lane widened its pool for summer students. Starting this year, toddlers to third graders are eligible—extending it beyond pre-K students. Registration for the summer starts in mid-March.

Process Underway

There are a few steps needed before the school opens in the fall. Already, Green Lane has state certification from the Department of Public Welfare, and will be inspected again before kindergarten starts. 

Structurally, the school will remain similar. No zoning is needed, as no new building will take place. The kindergarten program will utilize a cottage already on the campus. Some internal renovations are underway, with a city fire code inspection required. 

A big step involves finding that perfect teacher. Green Lane is looking for an experienced kindergarten teacher with at least a bachelor's degree. The curriculum will follow Pennsylvania state education standards to get the kids first-grade ready.

"It will focus on reading and writing, math, science. We've implemented music, art and library time. And in the future, we are hoping to fit in a language," Trimbur said.

For its first class, Trimbur hopes for between 12 and 24 students. If the class size is on the lower end, Green Lane will employ a teacher and an aide; if it's closer to 24, Trimbur said most likely two aides would be hired.

The open house is Feb. 29 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and will have current families hosting tours. People may register for kindergarten now. Call 215-487-0740 for more information.