Some of Louisville’s youngest learners will have a bright new place to go to school in two years. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) broke ground on a new early childhood center today. The stand-alone facility is being built on property adjacent to Watterson Elementary School. It will have 23 classrooms for up to 460 three- and four-year-old students and is expected to open in August 2026.
“This is another big step toward giving more of our students, including our youngest ones, modern facilities in which to learn and grow,” said Dr. Marty Pollio, JCPS Superintendent. “It will also bring 23 early childhood teachers under the same roof where it’s easier to collaborate and share strategies for teaching our neediest pre-K students.”
Construction of this center supports a long-standing goal of consolidating Early Childhood classrooms into purpose-designed facilities that provide enriching environments for JCPS’ youngest learners. The new center will bring early childhood classrooms from numerous elementary schools together into one place, freeing up space for more kindergarten through fifth grade students in those schools. It will also create greater efficiency in transportation, coordination of support services to address student needs, and enhanced opportunities for instructional teams to collaborate and share strategies.
“Early childhood serves as the cornerstone of academic success,” said Carlisa Gibson, Executive Director of Early Childhood at JCPS. "Focused on nurturing growth and preparing for kindergarten, this center will create an enriching environment where children can thrive, explore, and develop vital skills for lifelong learning."
The new early childhood center is being constructed on the same property as Watterson Elementary School, near a filled-in Jefferson County public swimming pool. Some of the building’s features include:
$19,920,000 cost
49,300 square feet
23 windowed classrooms in three wings
High thermal resistant insulated concrete forms (ICF), energy efficient windows, and energy efficient roof
Geothermal heating/cooling system
Energy efficient LED lights
Inclusive playgrounds
At the end of the 2023-24 school year, the JCPS Early Childhood program had more than 2,600 students learning in 33 locations. The new center will be the sixth stand-alone building in a system that includes five additional satellite centers housed in JCPS schools, and classrooms within 20 additional elementary schools.