One of the 15 indoor classrooms at the Gentex Discovery Preschool.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A new nature-based preschool will soon welcome children whose parents work at Gentex Corporation.
Officials from Gentex and the ODC Network officially unveiled the 43,000-square-foot Gentex Discovery Preschool at 3845 88th Ave. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday.
“This is a milestone for our community, it’s a milestone for Gentex and their leadership on this project, and it’s also a milestone for all the families in West Michigan that are going to benefit from this investment,” ODC Network Executive Director Travis Williams said.
Gentex and ODC Network announced the project in November 2022. The new preschool will have 15 classrooms, serving children from six weeks “until they are ready for kindergarten,” said Laurel Grose, who will serve as director of the preschool.
Each classroom will have an attached, fenced-in outdoor play and learning area. The preschool is expected to serve more than 220 children when it opens, with additional plans to include at least one second-shift classroom, Gentex spokesman Craig Piersma said.
Gentex Chief Executive Officer Steve Downing said that the preschool addresses one of the major challenges the company has been facing in attracting and retaining employees – the availability of quality child care.
“We feel like this is a model that could scale statewide, something that a lot
of companies should be looking at in trying to take the risk and invest in their companies and their families,” Downing said.
While Gentex provided the land and the financial backing to build the preschool, the educational programming will be handled by the ODC Network. The preschool will be the fifth nature-based school to be operated by ODC, but it’s the first that was built as the result of a corporate partnership, Williams said.
“This is what educational spaces should look like. This is what educational programs should look like. This is what’s best for kids,” Williams said.
John Vincent, ODC Network’s chief of early childhood education, called the Gentex Discovery Preschool “the single-most significant investment that we’ve seen in a corporation in its employees when it comes to child care.”
“There is nothing more important to parents than who’s caring for their child while they are away, and we know that when children have access to high-quality care, their outcomes improve dramatically, from early-learning gains to long-term wellbeing,” Vincent said.
“While the current childcare system faces real challenges we all know too well, such as affordability for families, sustainability of the programs running it and support for our educators, innovative approaches are proving these obstacles can be overcome. Gentex Discovery Preschool shows what is possible, when companies invest in families and educators,” Vincent added.
In addition to the classrooms, the preschool also includes an indoor play area playscape, nature trails, a fishing pond, office and common space, and food preparation areas.
The preschool must complete state daycare licensing before it opens to children. It is expected to employ about 80-85 workers, Grose said.
Zeeland Record
A new nature-based preschool will soon welcome children whose parents work at Gentex Corporation.
Officials from Gentex and the ODC Network officially unveiled the 43,000-square-foot Gentex Discovery Preschool at 3845 88th Ave. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday.
“This is a milestone for our community, it’s a milestone for Gentex and their leadership on this project, and it’s also a milestone for all the families in West Michigan that are going to benefit from this investment,” ODC Network Executive Director Travis Williams said.
Gentex and ODC Network announced the project in November 2022. The new preschool will have 15 classrooms, serving children from six weeks “until they are ready for kindergarten,” said Laurel Grose, who will serve as director of the preschool.
Each classroom will have an attached, fenced-in outdoor play and learning area. The preschool is expected to serve more than 220 children when it opens, with additional plans to include at least one second-shift classroom, Gentex spokesman Craig Piersma said.
Gentex Chief Executive Officer Steve Downing said that the preschool addresses one of the major challenges the company has been facing in attracting and retaining employees – the availability of quality child care.
“We feel like this is a model that could scale statewide, something that a lot
of companies should be looking at in trying to take the risk and invest in their companies and their families,” Downing said.
While Gentex provided the land and the financial backing to build the preschool, the educational programming will be handled by the ODC Network. The preschool will be the fifth nature-based school to be operated by ODC, but it’s the first that was built as the result of a corporate partnership, Williams said.
“This is what educational spaces should look like. This is what educational programs should look like. This is what’s best for kids,” Williams said.
John Vincent, ODC Network’s chief of early childhood education, called the Gentex Discovery Preschool “the single-most significant investment that we’ve seen in a corporation in its employees when it comes to child care.”
“There is nothing more important to parents than who’s caring for their child while they are away, and we know that when children have access to high-quality care, their outcomes improve dramatically, from early-learning gains to long-term wellbeing,” Vincent said.
“While the current childcare system faces real challenges we all know too well, such as affordability for families, sustainability of the programs running it and support for our educators, innovative approaches are proving these obstacles can be overcome. Gentex Discovery Preschool shows what is possible, when companies invest in families and educators,” Vincent added.
In addition to the classrooms, the preschool also includes an indoor play area playscape, nature trails, a fishing pond, office and common space, and food preparation areas.
The preschool must complete state daycare licensing before it opens to children. It is expected to employ about 80-85 workers, Grose said.
Artwork in the lobby of the Gentex Discovery Preschool.
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