For the first time in its nearly 150-year history, MHY Family Services will welcome kindergarten students this fall, launching a specialized program designed for children who need additional support as they begin their educational journey.
On Tuesday at 1 pm, MHY Family Services will celebrate the opening of the new classroom with a ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the donors and community partners, including Rich-Mar Rotary and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh—who helped bring the project to life.
Founded by women of the United Presbyterian churches of Pittsburgh and Allegheny City as an orphanage, the organization later became known throughout Western Pennsylvania as Mars Home for Youth, providing residential care for children facing difficult circumstances. Today, MHY serves families in approximately 14 Pennsylvania counties through community-based behavioral health services.
Unlike a traditional classroom, Longmore Academy’s kindergarten will enroll no more than 12 students. A certified special education teacher, along with two additional teachers or paraprofessionals, will provide individualized instruction tailored to each child’s needs.
“The kindergarten space will allow those kids who might not be ready for a more formal kindergarten setting to come in and allow us to better meet their needs,” said Ellwood.
“We’ll never have more than 12 students,” Ellwood explained. “We want to make sure every child receives personalized support.”
Children will be referred through their home school districts after educators determine they would benefit from additional services. Depending on individual needs, students may attend full- or half-day programs.
Each school day will begin with familiar kindergarten routines before students break into smaller instructional groups.
“We want children to start their educational journey loving school,” Ellwood said.
That philosophy resonated with Rich-Mar Rotary, which has partnered with MHY for years and is helping fund enhancements to the new classroom.
“I think, first of all, it is so important to give a kid a firm foundation at the very beginning of their school years,” said Dave Hein, past president and treasurer of Rich-Mar Rotary. “It makes them feel good about being in school. It makes them feel good about themselves. It makes them feel good about learning.”
The interactive discovery room at Longmore Academy features sensory activities and hands-on learning spaces for MHY Family Services’ new kindergarten program.
A Classroom Designed for Discovery
Perhaps the most striking feature of the new kindergarten is an interactive discovery room designed in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
The space features oversized building elements, sensory activities, interchangeable exploration panels and a life-sized Light Bright that encourages creativity, collaboration and hands-on learning.
Ellwood previously worked at the Children’s Museum and reached out to former colleagues while planning the classroom.
“When we started talking about the kindergarten classroom, I immediately called the Children’s Museum,” she said. “I said, ‘This is my project. What can you do?'”
The new kindergarten classroom at Longmore Academy features flexible seating, interactive technology and space for individualized instruction as MHY Family Services prepares to welcome its first kindergarten class this fall.
The classroom itself was intentionally designed for flexibility. Student desks can be arranged individually or grouped into collaborative learning pods. A Smart Board supports interactive instruction while outdoor learning takes advantage of Longmore Academy’s 50-acre campus, complete with nature trails, gardens and a pond.
Technology will play a role through Chromebooks and iPads, but Ellwood said social-emotional development remains the classroom’s foundation.
“Kids need to learn how to be people, how to be part of a group,” she said. “That really becomes the keystone of kindergarten.”
Rotary’s contribution will continue after Tuesday’s ribbon cutting.
Hein said volunteers will spend the coming months installing additional sensory walls, calming spaces, specialized lighting and other interactive features throughout the kindergarten wing.
“If you really want to be committed, you should have some elbow grease associated with it,” Hein said. “To get engaged and involved, learn exactly what they’re doing and how you can support it—that shows the service part of Rotary’s motto.”
A life-sized Light Bright is one of several sensory and interactive learning features incorporated into MHY Family Services’ new kindergarten discovery room.
Reinventing MHY
Ellwood said one of her biggest challenges since becoming CEO has been helping the public understand how much MHY has changed.
Many longtime residents still associate the organization with its former residential campus. Today, MHY focuses heavily on community-based services that work with entire families while Longmore Academy has expanded from roughly 35 students to about 130.
“We have evolved and continued to meet the need as the need has changed,” explained Ellwood. “People still don’t know what we do. They remember what we were, but they don’t know all of the opportunities we’re providing today.”
Hein believes that evolution reflects today’s realities.
“Every organization has to change with the times,” he said. “Mental health and supporting people who need extra care or personalized care is so important. When families are supported, the community is better for it.”
He said Longmore Academy has become much more than a local resource.
“I think people are going to continue to see MHY’s push to be not just an Adams Township resource, not only a Butler County resource, but a multiple-county resource. It’s evolved, it’s changed with the times, and it is a regional resource.”
Looking Ahead
Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony marks more than the opening of a classroom. It celebrates another step in MHY Family Services’ continuing evolution as the organization prepares to welcome its first kindergarten students this fall.
For Ellwood, the kindergarten represents more than one new classroom.
“Our mission is to do whatever it takes,” said Ellwood. “Whether that’s supporting a family in their home or helping a child succeed in school, we want every child to have a place where they can thrive.”
