Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Preschool in Conn. Opens Makerspace

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 01/13/20

The United Methodist Preschool (UMPS) in New Canaan, CT recently held a public open house of their newly completed makerspace. The makerspace enhances their STEAM-based curriculum.

The makerspace provides children ages 3-5 with a space for making, learning, exploring, and sharing. “Through tinkering (using stuff), making (using stuff to make stuff), and engineering (using stuff to make stuff that does stuff), children are engaged in the same creative processes and actions that engineers and scientists use,” read a statement on the school’s website.

“The new space will enable the children to create, explore in-depth, and work on long-term projects,” UMPS board member Margaret Pastel told the New Canaan Advertiser. “This is unique as most preschool projects are often completed in one day and rarely returned to. In the Makerspace, children will construct, improve, dismantle, imagine and redesign long-term projects, fostering creativity and higher-level thinking skills.”

The preschool is the first preschool to receive accreditation through The National Association for the Education of Young Children.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part II

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.