INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY PRESCHOOL
Original Name: Veterans Play School
Adviser: Dr. Ruth Updergraff and other personnel from the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station. 1947-1948. Met in the Iowa City Council Chambers while waiting for the University of Iowa to locate a meeting site. A picture of the children in the Chambers is in the original scrapbook. It appeared in the Iowa City
Press Citizen in 1948. October 1948, Fred Ambrose, the U of I Business Manager announced the University would give the Veterans Play School a barracks rent and utility free. Barracks #67, south of the U of I Hospital across the road from Quadrangle Dorm became the first home for the Veterans Play School. The American Legion Auxiliary funded some of the equipment. Tuition was set at $3.00 a month for 2 days and $4.50 a month for 3 days. An October, 1949, Daily Iowan story announced that the Veterans Play School would move to Barracks #12 on East Bloomington, one block south of Currier Hall. The school changed its name to Veterans Cooperative Play School. In 1952 the school became an adjunct of the Iowa Child Welfare Station. In 1953, a March fire closed the Veterans Cooperative Play School until fall. August that year the school move to Barracks #11 next door to The University of Iowa Preschool. In the summer of 1955, the school dropped the name Veterans Cooperative Play School and became Parents Cooperative Preschool. The school had to be moved to make way for Burge Hall. Again the U of I provided rent and utilities. The College of Nursing also assisted the school by paying half the teacher’s salary and providing six student nurses to assist. A March 10, 1963, article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette described the Parents Cooperative Preschool as one of the oldest in the country. There were two groups—a MWF Senior group of 4 year-olds and a TTH Junior group of 3 year-olds. Both groups met from 9-11am and tuition was $5.00 a semester. In 1966, Parents Cooperative Preschool shared Dean House on the SE corner of Bloomington and Capitol Streets with University Preschool, a part of the Institute of Child Behavior and paid rent and used the building during the afternoons and Saturday. The fall of 1967 saw the Parents Cooperative Preschool move to its present location at
212 Myrtle Avenue, a block south of Melrose. The school still had a quasi-official connection issued salary checks from the Cooperative funds. University officials had rented the house at 212 Myrtle to faculty for $150 per month, but lowered the rent for the Parents Cooperative Preschool. Tuition in 1967 was $70.00 a semester with 26 students per session. Kay Prediger, the present Director, was hired in the fall of 1974. She had one assistant teacher and 3 parents assist with each cooperative session. In 1975 the name was changed to University Parents Preschool. The afternoon session was the only one remaining a cooperative session by the fall of 1976. Two assistants were hired to assist with the 23 children in each class. With the closing of the Child Behavior and Development Teaching Lab School known as University Preschool in the early 1970s, the University Parents Preschool decided to drop the word Parents from their name and become known as University Preschool. In the Spring of 1977 the school celebrated its 30th anniversary and 10 years at the Myrtle Avenue address. A custom-designed large outdoor play structure was dedicated. The year 1980 saw an end to all cooperative sessions at the University Preschool. In May, 1983, University Preschool incorporated into a Non Profit Corporation. At this time the University of Iowa ended their bookkeeping service for the school. The fall of 1984, Jan Eyman was hired as an assistant teacher. A 40th anniversary celebration was held on May 17th, 1987. The fall of 1992, Kiki Aanestad became an assistant teacher. September 1993, the University Preschool received the donation of a toy shed. The following summer the playground was landscaped and new playground equipment purchased. September 1996, University Preschool lengthen its sessions and the children began bringing lunch each day. A unique feature of the Myrtle Avenue building is that all the walls upstairs are covered with the handprints of the children who have attended University Preschool in the last 28 years. In the fall 98, Mary Colette Szeszycki became the assistant teacher. A 60th anniversary celebration was held at Coralville Public Library with Jim Gill as a guest singer on November 21, 2008. Colette Szeszycki resigned in June of 2011. In the fall of 2011, Osa Clemons became an assistant teacher. In April 2012 Osa resigned. In August 2013 Kiki retired
In Fall of 2013 Toby Turner became assistant teacher and Colette Szeszycki became the co-director.
