Families return to Coventry School
After quietly sitting empty since 2007, the Coventry School building will once again be filled with children's voices. On June 21, Family Connections, the family support organization formed from the merger of Heights Parent Center and Shaker Family Center, will move its Cleveland Heights office and core programming from Taylor School to Coventry. The move has been greeted with enthusiasm by staff, participants and area residents alike.
According to Ellen Barrett, longtime playroom coordinator and family support specialist at Family Connections, “We’ve been fortunate over the past 15 years to be housed by the CH-UH City School District in both Millikin and Taylor schools, but we’ve never had the chance to be part of a wider community. Being at Coventry will give us an opportunity to work side by side with the P. E.A.C.E. Park and playground groups, Coventry merchants and Coventry Village Library, as well as the great group of folks moving into the building with us.”
“We were thrilled to learn that Coventry School is going to be used in ways that enhance our neighborhood,” said Mark Chupp, a 15-year resident of the Coventry area, “The two organizations [Family Connections and the Cleveland Sight Center] bring programs that can serve young families that have recently moved to this area. We commend the school board and the city for working together to make this possible.”
Barrett believes that Family Connections will add to the sense of community that already exists in the Coventry neighborhood. “Family Connections is deeply committed to supporting parents as they make the often difficult journey through the early years of parenthood,” she said.
Because of the move, the Family Connections drop-in programs at Taylor will be closed from June 13 through July 5. The Little Heights literacy programs at the Lee Road Library will remain open, as will the drop-in programs at the Shaker Family Center (located in the former Sussex School). Family Connections will honor Cleveland Heights passes at the Shaker location during the three-week move. Learn more at www.familyconnections1.org.
Krissy Dietrich Gallagher
Krissy Dietrich Gallagher is a longtime resident of Cleveland Heights, a graduate of the Heights schools and a former Coventry School teacher. She currently sits on the board of directors of Family Connections and blogs at http://krissygallagher.wordpress.com.