Men on a mission

Generational ties lie behind the new building you’ll see under construction on Montevallo Road starting this month.

Allyson Mouron was so moved by the work of PreSchool Partners as a member of its junior board that she left her teaching position at Mountain Brook Elementary to work full time at the preschool. Her father-in-law, Mike Mouron, took notice. 

“Once Allyson became so committed, I met [PreSchool Partners Executive Director] Lella [Carl Hamiter] and learned more about the history of the preschool, and it seemed like an undertaking I thought was innovative,” Mike Mouron said.

Recently, Mouron learned that PreSchool Partners would no longer be able to continue in its current space, and he started thinking about how to find them a permanent home. Around the same time, he saw the former McElwain Elementary School property for sale on Montevallo Road and had an idea.

Mouron and his wife, Kathy, would purchase the property for the organization, starting what would become Operation School House.

Now, for the first time since it was founded 20 years ago, Preschool Partners will have its own permanent home for its programs for at-risk preschool children. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in March, and construction is scheduled to start in May on the McElwain site.

Before Mouron even asked him, Pete Pritchard, who had worked with Mouron’s son Christopher in the past, had volunteered his services as an architect for the new building.

Turner Burton of Hoar Construction, another member of the junior board whom Mouron has known since his birth, stepped in to offer his company’s services.

Mouron is co-chairing the capital campaign for the building with Foots Parnell, a friend since junior high school and the father of PreSchool Partners development director Allene Neighbors. The combination of donated services and a $2.6 million capital campaign will bring the new building to life by January if all goes according to schedule.

The facility will add a day activity room, parent education rooms, a conference room and offices for all of the staff that the organization has not previously had. There will also be an office for The University of Alabama School of Education where the Mary Harmon and Paul Bryant Chair will work with literacy programs in the state.

 “We have approached this project with the children in mind and come up with a building that visually makes sense to the project,” Pritchard said. “My hope is that the facility will let the program expand and serve more children.”

The 12,000-square-foot, one-story red brick building will incorporate basic forms and shapes and simple patterns.

Pritchard said that since becoming involved with the project, he has been paying more attention to preschools and how crucial it is to help children get involved with learning at an early age.

Through PreSchool Partners, around 70 preschool-aged children from inner city families in north Birmingham each year are equipped with not just academic lessons but also behavior and social skills. Their parents attend school one morning a week with their child and participate in a family literacy program.

“I can’t think of another endeavor regarding children’s education that I would rather work with right now,” Parnell said. “Every child deserves a quality education, none more so important than a child who already might be at risk due to socioeconomic circumstances. When you see the faces of those children and how eager they are to learn, it’s very heartwarming.”

Beside where the new PreSchool Partners building will sit, Mouron has contracted land for building single-family residences he sees as ideal for young professionals or empty nesters in the area. The homes will be designed by English Village-based Dungan Nequette architects.

To learn more, visit operationschoolhouse.com.