The Mary T. Wellcome Child Development Center Relocation Project

Phyllis Wheatley's Mary T. Wellcome Center has been preparing young children for success in school and success in life since 1929. Having a stable and sustainable space of our own will assure the continuation of providing excellent multicultural, pre-academic early childhood programs for generations to come.

Currently located in five leased classrooms within Bethune School, the Mary T. Wellcome Center faces the significant challenge of raising the resources needed to adapt space to the needs of pre-kindergarten children and make the transition to greater stability and away from an uncertain future as a leaseholder.

Our owned space is terribly outdated (built in 1969) and was never designed for early childhood programs. A complete makeover is needed in order to meet the early learning needs of children from the lower and middle income working families we serve.

The Mary T. Wellcome Child Development Center (MTW) is a nationally accredited and licensed child education center that prepares each child for kindergarten and later school success. Established by the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in 1929, it is one of Minnesota’s oldest recognized child development centers and one of the pre‐eminent early learning programs in the Twin Cities.

THE NEED: Fewer than 50 percent of kindergartners in north Minneapolis are on track to read well by the third grade.

OUR GOAL: To ensure that lower income families from the diverse neighborhoods we serve have access to high quality, culturally competent early childhood programs that each child is cognitively, socially, emotionally, and developmentally prepared for kindergarten success.

MTW provides comprehensive, child‐centered, pre-academic learning experiences for 65 children aged six weeks to pre-kindergarten. Teachers utilize a literacy‐rich environment, based on research and best practices, to help students develop skills in math, language, reading and creative arts; encourage growth in social and emotional development; and help build cultural awareness.

MTW is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. Fewer than ten percent of all pre‐schools and child development centers nationally achieve this milestone. The Center is also a Four Star Parent Aware rated program (highest possible rating). In addition, MTW was one of five early child development centers selected by the Minneapolis Public Schools in partnership with the University of Minnesota for the Early Reading First Program (ERF).

Results from the MTW’s Individual Growth and Development Indicator (IGDI) provide a consistent form of annual evaluation on each child’s early literacy skill development. The IGDI assessment provides annual pre- and post-test accountability to meet our stated outcome indicators: children test fully prepared for kindergarten; and children demonstrate mastery of age appropriate skills in the areas of physical, cognitive, social/emotional and language/literacy development.

MTW Gets Results: 98% of children graduating from MTW over the past four years have tested fully prepared for kindergarten based on standard kindergarten readiness assessments.

Questions? Contact us at info@phylliswheatley.org