ECS Dedicates New Early Childhood Wing at Lower School Campus continued...

In November, ECS launched a new three-year, $10 million Building for Life Vision Campaign, and this Early Childhood expansion is a large part of that effort. Eight weeks since the campaign began, the ECS community answered enthusiastically, raising more than one million dollars by year’s end.

After consultation with their Early Childhood teachers and visiting other top Early Childhood facilities in the region, ECS contracted esteemed Memphis-based architecture firm, archimania, to design a state-of-the-art space to meet their educational and recreational needs. Local contractor Grinder, Taber & Grinder built the new structure in only eight months despite some supply delivery delays related to COVID-19.

“With an increase in new Early Childhood classes this year, we have exhausted all available space in our current building,” said Braxton Brady, ECS Head of School. “Expecting to continue to see a rise in enrollment, the ECS Board of Trustees approved a plan last year to add onto the current Lower School building with a new structure designed with our youngest students in mind.”

This new space will also allow for growth in older grades in the current ECS Lower School building and will accommodate new spaces for STEAM and co-curricular classes.

“The Early Childhood expansion introduces two important features: a light-filled, dedicated entry welcoming the Little Eagles and their families each morning, and, a first for ECS, a building that is solar-ready to help reduce operational costs in the near future,” said Todd Steele, archimania architect who has designed the ECS project.

Following the ribbon cutting, early childhood parents toured the new wing at designated times to limit numbers in the building.

“As more parents commit to partner with ECS, we understand that we are building more than just new facilities; we are building students for life,” Brady added. “This is truly a great day to be an Eagle!”