Rivera’s preschool trucked into Merced

A new preschool for the Rivera Elementary campus arrived in Merced on the back of three trucks Thursday, according to school officials.

A space at Rivera Elementary School that was vacant the previous day is home to the 1,440-square-foot preschool bungalow, officials said. The facility arrived in three sections on trucks from Stockton. Site work to prepare for the delivery began early last week, officials said. Crews spent Thursday positioning the preschool on the property.

The building was designed with student safety as the top priority, officials said, including the strategic placement of windows and doors. It will serve about 20 children in the morning and 20 more in the afternoon during the school year. The building comes with two restrooms and kitchenette.

Rivera Elementary School opened to 600 kindergarten through sixth grade students last fall. It was built adjacent to Rivera Middle School using voter-approved Measure M and Measure S school bond funds. The goal was to fill a need in northwest Merced while creating enough space to allow all sixth graders to attend elementary schools, officials said.

The new preschool was funded through Measure M and developer fees. It will open in the fall.

Enrollment is underway for all Merced City School District preschools. Qualified families who live in the district and have children ages 3 or 4 can stop by Galen Clark Preschool at 211 E. 11th St. to fill out a pre-application. The office is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more, call Galen Clark Preschool at 209-385-6619 or go to www.mcsd.k12.ca.us/MCSDPreschool.

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Rivera’s preschool trucked into Merced."