March 29, 2024

St. Malachy expands, preschool enrollment grows

St. Malachy staff and its school family gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday night as they unveiled their completed $1.5 million dollar addition to their school.

St. Malachy School, a Catholic school serving southwest Iowa’s children since 1870, underwent construction the last week of March. The addition, which was completed Sept. 15, features two new preschool classrooms, one multi-use classroom for Spanish and art, an additional set of restrooms and a music room.

“Our music room used to be a garage up on the hill,” said Jennifer Simmons, principal.

Simmons said there has been need for the expansion as St. Malachy’s enrollment continues to rise, particularly in its preschool programs.

“We were just needing to grow,” said Simmons. “We really felt that having an all-day 4-year-old program was going to be really beneficial for our school.”

Simmons said it was through conversations with parents in the community that inspired the addition and learned of the growing need for all-day preschool.

“Knowing that the building was coming, we put a lot of effort into getting that program up and running,” said Simmons. “And, it’s been very successful.”

In the past, St. Malachy has held 3-year-old preschool two days a week, and preschool for 4-year-olds four days a week in the afternoons. Now, the school offers full- and half-day programs for 4-year-olds and two options for 3-year-olds. Enrollment in these programs are not full, but Simmons said it is very close.

The former preschool classrooms will be used as a board room and multi-purpose space for students, the executive board and general meetings for larger groups.

The project, which cost a total of $1.5 million, was paid for by private donors who contributed through a capital campaign and a $350,000 matching grant from the Dekko Foundation.

For more information about St. Malachy School and its programs, visit www.crestonstmalachy.org or call (641) 782-7125.