Kid’s Community College founder Timothy Kilpatrick praises the organization’s growth and success during a groundbreaking ceremony of the school’s new 50,000-sq.-ft. facility scheduled for completion this summer and opening this fall.
Kid’s Community College (KCC), a nationally accredited charter school renowned for its unique system of individualized learning, has recently announced plans for a new International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme Campus, the relocation of its current Lake Saint Charles campus to a newly constructed 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Riverview and the addition of 30 new jobs.
According to KCC founder and director Tim Kilpatrick, the realization of the school’s six-year strategic Riverview Growth Plan actually began in June of 2011 with the design of a new, two-story, 4.5-acre campus, located just west of Lowe’s on Gibsonton Dr. and Mathhog Rd.
Following a ground breaking ceremony held last month, construction of the new campus began with completion scheduled for this July, with an anticipated 125 openings for the upcoming school year.
Kilpatrick said that each oversized classroom will offer smart boards. Along with music, science and technology labs and a 3,600-sq.-ft. cafeteria, the new campus remains true to the Kid’s Community College mission.
“We will keep our total student population to only 636 students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade to make sure our students receive the same successful individualized attention the school has always been know for,” Kilpatrick said of the tuition free public nonprofit charter school, which was founded locally by residents of the community it serves.
KCC’s Southeast IB modeled campus, which currently is located at 6528 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Riverview, will only admit 108 families in its first year, increasing enrollment to a maximum of 348 students by year three and will follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years programme (IB PYP) of study.
Kilpatrick stressed that KCC’s growth announcements in Riverview are attracting significant attention from educators and parents alike.
“We have made a commitment to Riverview to geographically distribute our unique higher-learning systems throughout the county,” he said. “We are living up to that promise. 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 it’s fair share of financial challenges.”
Currently, Hillsborough County offers just two IB PYP schools and there are only a total of 24 IB PYP programmes in the entire state.
KCC Director of Middle Charter School Operations Karen Seder said that the school’s growth and success of the organization is the result of 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,” Seder said.
Open enrollment for both campuses have begun for the much anticipated August openings.
Parents interested in enrolling are encouraged to apply early by visiting www.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.
