School districts repurpose empty buildings for early childhood education

Several years ago, Oklahoma City Public Schools closed more than a dozen school buildings as part of a realignment process. This decision aimed to balance student populations and improve the educational experience across the city. However, these closures have left district leaders nationwide questioning what to do with empty school buildings.

The decline in public school enrollment, driven by increased alternative education options, lower birth rates, and population shifts, has led many districts to consolidate students and close schools. Stephanie Hinton, executive director of early childhood at Oklahoma City Public Schools, expressed concerns about vacant buildings becoming unsafe spaces: "When buildings sit vacant, they can become unsafe spaces, and we didn’t want that to happen."

One solution gaining traction is converting these buildings into early care and education centers. Aaron Loewenberg from New America explains this approach: "From the school district perspective, you’d rather be getting a little bit of revenue on rent than just … having a decaying asset." The shortage of early care facilities nationwide makes this repurposing an attractive option.

In Oklahoma City, several closed schools have been transformed into early learning centers. Gatewood Elementary became the Gatewood Early Learning Center in 2021. It prioritizes children of district staff for enrollment—a benefit long sought by Hinton due to challenges in finding affordable childcare.

Sunbeam Family Services leased another former elementary school called Pierce and created new child care slots after extensive renovations. Paula Gates from Sunbeam highlighted the benefits: “These classrooms are massive because they’re built for 25 second-graders.” Despite high renovation costs—$2.2 million at Pierce—Andrew Norton from Sunbeam notes it was more economical than constructing new facilities.

Renovating these buildings involves significant changes like adding private bathrooms for young children who are potty training. Emily McGowan from Lakeshore Learning emphasizes playground access as crucial for outdoor activities integral to early learning programs.

Tucson Unified School District in Arizona converted two empty schools into early learning centers back in 2014. Reem Kievit from Tucson Unified noted staffing remains challenging due to competitive wages offered by districts compared to private programs.

Despite obstacles like staffing shortages and renovation costs, such conversions have shown success in communities. In Tucson Unified’s case, most families using district-run centers choose local kindergartens afterward—highlighting these programs' role in recruitment and retention efforts.

Loewenberg predicts continued interest in these conversions amid ongoing school closures: “It’s not going away,” he says. “This is something we’ll be talking a lot more about.”