little girl wearing backpack

In a second-floor room filled with excited young children, parents and teachers, President John Fry joined community leaders and educators this fall in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Chesterbrook Academy preschool at 3201 Race St.

“This is Welcome Week at the University, and we’re seeing many new faces around campus, including over 5,000 undergraduate, graduate and transfer students,” Fry said. “Here today we’re also noting the start of an academic year for a group of new arrivals. They may be smaller in stature but they are just as important to our University as all of our other students.”

For years, Fry said, Drexel employees clamored for a high-quality preschool where staff and faculty could send their students, and the new academy accomplishes that goal. At full capacity, it will be home to 180 children from 6 weeks old to kindergarten, in a location convenient for families who live and work at or near Drexel. It will also offer summer camps for school-age children, keeping pace with the University’s year-round class schedule.