Children’s Corner is not quite ready to leave its Los Altos home at 97 Hillview Ave.
The preschool, which has been at its Hillview Community Center location since 1981, has faced an uncertain future in recent years as city officials discuss rebuilding the center. But with an architectural firm selected and plans being drawn up for the renovation, Children’s Corner has been forced to start looking for a new site – at least temporarily.
Los Altos City Manager Chris Jordan said representatives of the preschool recently approached him about renewing the lease, set to expire at the end of the next school year, at the new community center. Children’s Corner Executive Director Gini Brown met with Jordan and plans to continue discussions next week with the city’s Recreation and Community Services division.
The Children’s Corner staff hopes to end up at the community center for the long haul.
“We’ve been here for almost 40 years; I’ve been here for 38,” Brown said. “I’ve been through lots of these plans, and this is the first one that looks like it’s really going to happen.”
Even if Children’s Corner secures a spot in the new community center, the preschool will still need to find a temporary home during the planned two years of construction.
“We’re checking for churches to see if they have space,” Brown said. “We’re working with a broker. The ideal situation is to stay at the community center.”
There’s a reason Children’s Corner has thrived at Hillview for so many years, and it has to do with its community.
“The reason we were invited to come here to begin with was the drop-in program,” Brown said. “The community really wanted it. From then, we’ve just made changes as the community’s needs have changed.”
But if Children’s Corner has to move, even temporarily, Brown fears that it would be detrimental to the business, and returning to Hillview would mean starting over.
“If we have to go far from here, we’ll lose a lot of families,” she said.
Brown is looking into installing portables on-site so that the preschool can continue to operate and keep in touch with the community it has established over decades.
But whether or not Children’s Corner remains at Hillview isn’t up to the preschool – it’s up to the city. And with discussions of a new lease still in the preliminary stages, there’s no telling when – or if – an agreement will be reached.
“The city council will have the final decision and authority,” Jordan said. “All decisions will go in front of the city council and will be vetted in front of the public.”
