New Indoor Play Space Comes to Northfield

Hand in Hand Preschool students explore Perch!

In the former Greenvale Park Elementary School media center where students used to sit and read The Magic Tree House books, a giant treehouse now stands. The treehouse is part of an interactive, fully accessible play space that was designed by the Minnesota Children’s Museum for the building's new tenant, the Northfield Community Education Center (NCEC).

When completed, this rejuvenated space in the center of the old school will feature a colorful mural and five unique play installations where kids can learn through play in child-led, whole body experiences. The first four installations, Perch, Float, Shimmer and Construct, are already in place. The final one, Nest, is expected to be ready by fall 2023. 

“Play may seem simple, yet it is profound to a child’s development,” said Community Education Director Erin Bailey. “Through play, children learn the skills they need to thrive now and throughout their lives. In partnership with the Minnesota Children’s Museum, we are excited to bring this creative space to life for young children to enjoy.”

NCEC staff got the idea for the new play space three years ago, before the start of the COVID pandemic, when they began planning how they would renovate the former elementary school into a multi-use space that would house Hand in Hand preschool, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programs, the EarlyVentures childcare center, and Community Education offices. When the planning committee met with community members to get their ideas about how to best use the former media center, people mentioned the need for a new indoor play space, similar to installations found at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul.

In March 2020, five days before lockdown, the planning group met with museum staff to begin talks to design the space. Over the next three years, progress was delayed by the pandemic, staffing changes, and supply chain issues, but by fall, the space will be finished and ready for families to enjoy. 

Funding for the indoor experiential environment was provided by WINGS and Northfield Promise, through the StriveTogether Opportunity Fund.

The space is geared toward children ages birth to 5 years and is currently open to classes held in the NCEC. Organizers are planning to have drop-in days for the general public. More information will be included in the Community Ed fall catalog and online.

For more information about signing up for ECFE classes, Hand in Hand preschool, or EarlyVentures, a birth-to-5 childcare center, visit the Community Ed website. 

The NCEC play space will consist of five installations:

Float features a wall filled with intertwining, clear pipes that students can infuse with feathers, scarves, and foam balls and redirect the airflow to change their path. The objects then pop out of the top of the pipes, and children can jump and catch them.

Shimmer features a preschool-sized triangle “fun house” style mirror. Children walk through and enjoy the different perspectives the mirror provides. There is a small light table in the Shimmer installation for children to practice writing and drawing and see their creations glow.

Perch features a fully-accessible giant treehouse with fabric panels, a “hidey hole,” and a climbing area. Adjacent sensory bins provide extra fun when kids are done climbing.

Construct allows kids to build unique structures using pool noodles and connectors to form towers with a noodle tree.

The final installation:

Nest will feature a giant nest with a forest theme.

TORCH Shares Highlights from 2022-23

TORCH graduating seniors are excited to head off to colleges including St. Olaf,

Rochester Community and Technical College, Concordia University (St. Paul),

Riverland Community College, Arcadia University (Pennsylvania),

Dakota County Technical College, and Western Technical College (Wisconsin).

TORCH staff assisted more than 400 middle school and high school students during the 2022-23 school year, and the program’s graduating seniors received more than $18,000 in local scholarships to pursue postsecondary education. Northfield High School TORCH Director Tessa Kiesow shared those and other highlights with the Northfield Shares board at its May meeting at the Northfield Depot.

TORCH received a grant from Northfield Shares to support its Career and College Readiness and Exploration programming. In her presentation to the nonprofit community foundation, Kiesow explained that those funds helped pay for transporting middle and high school students to college visits and career exploration events. They also supported lunchtime workshops for students to learn more about topics like financial aid, applying for scholarships, and PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options).

Kiesow said after the presentation that the board members were excited to hear that TORCH serves so many students each year – in addition to those served at the middle school and high school level, the program supports more than 100 TORCH alumni through the Northfield Community College Collaborative.

“They were curious to learn more about how TORCH is funded – a combination of local, state and national funds that we braid together – and also seemed excited to learn about our many partnerships, such as Northfield Public Schools, HealthFinders Collaborative, the Community Action Center, Riverland Community College, and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, to name a few,” Kiesow said.

Bright Spot: Youth on Board Members Attend Youth Day at Capitol

Students from Northfield and other towns meet Gov. Tim Walz

Twenty-five young people from Northfield attended Youth Day at the Capitol on April 17. This was the first time youth from Northfield participated as a group in the annual event, which gives young Minnesotans the opportunity to develop advocacy and leadership skills. While in St. Paul, the Northfield youth met with both state Sen. Bill Lieske and Rep. Kristi Pursell, and they took part in a large group meeting with Gov. Tim Walz.

Northfield Promise has been recognized as a Systems Transformation community by the national StriveTogether network, becoming the fourth Cradle to Career Network community to earn this designation.  StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. In partnership with nearly 70 communities across the country, StriveTogether provides resources, best practices and processes to give every child every chance for success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches more than 14 million students, including more than 8 million children of color and over 6 million children experiencing poverty. The network spans 30 states and Washington, D.C.