K-1 Early Childhood Center Timeline

The Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors is pleased that after four and a half years of preparation, including navigating challenges and pivoting from one plan to another to solve the District’s overcrowding, we have approved an Early Learning Center for grades K-1, slated to open in the fall of 2028.

The Early Learning Center will provide our youngest learners with unprecedented opportunities, not the least of which is a full-day kindergarten schedule. It will also bring our elementary students who have been attending school in temporary classroom units back into the cohesive environment of our school buildings.

The road to this exciting new project has been long. In summary:

• On September 24, 2020, after three and a half years of study, research and analysis, the Rose Tree Media School Board unanimously approved the plan to construct a new elementary school on new land, proposed to open in Fall 2023.
• Over the course of 24 months, 23 sites were evaluated based on extensive criteria.
• As determined by District staff and the School Board, the site for the new school was selected in Edgmont Township. The District moved forward in purchasing approximately 38 acres for the additional elementary school in Edgmont Township.
• On February 14, 2023, the Edgmont Township Board of Supervisors voted against the proposal for the new school.
• In late February 2023, the Rose Tree Media School District pursued legal action to move forward with the plan to build the new school on the Edgmont property.
• In September 2024, the District proposed a new site, owned by the District, located between the Penncrest High School athletic fields and Rose Tree Road.
• At the February 27, 2025 Board Meeting, Rose Tree Media School District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Meloche announced that legal proceedings involving Edgmont Township had halted, and the District would develop a plan for an Early Learning Center for grades kindergarten and first grade. The K-1 Center would be built on the site between the Penncrest fields and Rose Tree Road, with completion slated for fall of 2026.
• On January 9, 2025, Representatives from ICS, SCHRADERGROUP, and GD Houtman &Son, Inc., presented a draft overview of the K-1 Early Learning Center Feasibility Study to the Board.
• On February 27, 2025, the Board approved the plans for the new K-1 Early Learning Center. 

We encourage members of the community to visit the Rose Tree Media School District website, www.rtmsd.org, and click the link “School Board Presentations” for more information on the K-1 Early Learning Center.

This tremendous step forward in our youngest learners’ education will benefit generations to come. The Board is honored to have been a part of bringing the K-1 Early Learning Center to fruition.

Sincerely,

Theresa Napson-Williams
President, Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors

Please send your questions to bwilson@rtmsd.org 

What is the status of the Edgmont property, originally slated a few years as the location of a new elementary school, but discarded as a viable plan? 
The school district's process for evaluating sites for a new school - which included around 2 dozen properties - began more than 7 years ago. A site was identified in Edgmont Township, and purchased, by the school district for a new K-5 elementary school. Edgmont Township declined the opportunity to rezone the property for the district to construct the school. The Edgmont property is now for sale. 

Is it possible for the district to offer full-day kindergarten without opening a K-1 center, and instead implementing a full-day kindergarten program in our existing elementary schools? 
Our four elementary schools cannot accommodate a full-day kindergarten program, and the buildings cannot be effectively expanded to meet our needs. We are already overcrowded, and full-day kindergarten would bring more students into each building at once, making the situation untenable. 

What will the Early Learning Center’s hours of operation be?
We have not yet determined the school start and end times for the Early Childhood Center. The Early Learning Center’s hours of operation will need to be on a schedule staggered around the elementary school hours of operation. We expect to have a tentative determination of K-1 Center hours in by the end of June 2026, with a finalized schedule in June 2027.

Will the K-1 Center students be grouped according to their home elementary schools? 
We cannot promise that kindergarten and first grade students at the K-1 center will be grouped according to the elementary school they will attend in grades 2-5. We will work to configure the school so that the students have multiple opportunities to make social connections with a wide group of fellow students. Our professionals – teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists – and parents will have the opportunity to weigh in about the social aspects of the school. 

Will the school require the hiring of additional staff?
Additional staff will be needed for the K-1 Center. Specific needs will be determined in the coming months.

How will transportation/busing be handled for the Early Childhood Center?
Students of the Early Childhood Center will be provided bus service to and from school. The bus schedule for the school will be determined by the school’s hours of operation, which will be staggered around our other schools’ hours of operation. We expect to have a tentative determination of K-1 Center hours by the end of June 2026, with a finalized schedule in June 2027.

I’m very concerned about the increased traffic volume this school will generate. How will that be addressed?
We will continue to strongly encourage parents to send their children to school on the bus, rather than driving them to school. This is one of the best ways to mitigate traffic around all our school properties. Additionally, the professionals working on the site plan for the school are committed to optimal traffic flow into and out of the school grounds.

As of the Board Work Session Meeting on May 8, 2025, the professionals working on the site plan are working in tandem with the planning team for the Penncrest High School athletic fields. Under consideration is installing an additional parking lot for the athletic fields, creating the possibility of bringing K-1 Center bus access around the back of the PHS building, and possibly looping out the same way. This would take parent drop-off traffic off Rose Tree Road. This option continues to be examined as professionals analyze site and off-site traffic circulation and continue the land development process.

I’ve heard this school is going to cost $85 million. Where will the money come from for it?
At present, the professionals designing and pricing the project have projected a cost of between $81 million and $82 million for approximately 120,000 square feet of building space. We anticipate an update on the square feet of the building, and its associated cost, at the June 5, 2025, Board Work Session. The district will sell bonds to borrow the funds to build the school.

What about the environment impact of building this school? It seems this will take away a large wildlife habitat, could create increased noise and air pollution, and affect residential well water.
The township will be working in tandem with the construction professionals through a land development process to keep the project safe for all. Although a tree line will likely need to be removed from the property, the township’s replacement policy for trees will ensure vegetation for the appearance of the property and the wildlife there. A study of the habitat has shown no endangered species living on the property.

The District held an information session on April 30, 2025 to share the timeline and information regarding the construction of a K-1 Early Learning Center in Middletown Township. 

Recording of Information Session

K-1 Early Learning Center Information Session

May 2025 - School Board Update

April 2025 - Design Aspirations

February 2025 - Next Steps

January 2025 - Work Session Presentation