LYNN — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton saw the results of the $1.33 million of funding allocated to LEO Inc. for its preschool renovation, during his visit on Wednesday.
The new LEO building will be located on 156 Broad St. and will include 15 preschool classrooms to accommodate 270 students between the ages of 3 to 5; full-day and half-day classes; an off-street entrance with an accessible public elevator and reception area; private meeting rooms for children and families; an indoor movement and exercise room; two outdoor classrooms and playgrounds; a kitchen and nutrition center; and it will employ 95 teachers, case managers, health specialists, and education supervisors.
LEO Inc. CEO Birgitta Damon said the building will be completed in January 2025, and students will move into the building by the end of March.
She said LEO’s “expensive” model of education provides “comprehensive care” for students and families.
Khadija Idy, a parent with a 4-year-old son who started this year at LEO Inc., said she has been supported since her son’s first day of the program.
“They let me know that they’re going to do everything they possibly can to take care of my child,” she said.
Ingrid Bonilla, a teacher with the LEO Head Start program and a parent of students in the programs, said LEO has been a “crucial” part of her life.
She said LEO offered her a job when she was struggling to find one, and her three children were attending programs.
“I am very excited about the opening of the new building. I have seen firsthand how important LEO is for our children and families. The program works diligently to provide support and resources for parents in need, to help the children’s success in school and in life,” Bonilla said.
Adi Kangalova, who has been a preschool teacher at LEO for 12 years, said Moulton’s prior and current work with LEO has inspired her students. She thanked him for his efforts to support the new building.
“I’m so honored to be part of LEO as an organization,” she said. “With this school… we give our children huge opportunities, not only for academic success, but just for a happy life.”
LEO Inc. Family Engagement Manager Belkis Sanchez said she first became involved with LEO when her children attended the program.
Sanchez’s oldest child has since graduated from Bentley University, and additionally, LEO has helped her obtain her Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees.
“LEO is not just education,” she said. “It’s about helping families.”
Moulton said the positivity at LEO is “contagious” and Mayor Jared Nicholson’s support of the program has helped it grow.
Nicholson noted the importance of his and Moulton’s offices in providing “high-quality” programming and education for preschool children.
The city is trying to add more seats to preschools in the district to minimize the gap between the state average for students enrolled in preschools to the number in Lynn, Nicholson said.
“There’s really no debate that education is the best investment. But there’s also really no debate that the best education investment is early childhood,” Moulton said.
