MORGAN PARK — PLAID Academy, a school of 50 students, will move to the Morgan Park Presbyterian Church when classes resume on Aug. 17.
Jean Altman, a co-founder and administrator of PLAID Academy, said Wednesday the school would move to the church at 11056 S. Longwood Drive in Morgan Park.
A series of classrooms built on the northwest corner of the church property will more than double the space currently occupied by the school. The additional space will also be available all day, Altman said.
PLAID Academy has been operating out of the Beverly Arts Center in Morgan Park since 2010. Previously, the school was based out of a converted house at 11156 S. Hoyne Ave. also in Morgan Park.
The school was founded in 1994 in the house with black awnings near Morgan Park Academy, Altman said.
PLAID is actually an acronym used by the school to mean Positive Learning in an Atmosphere of Individual Development. The nonreligious school meets all state requirements, according to its website.
Altman described the school as a blend between traditional classroom-style education and the individual, independent model commonly associated with Montessori schools.
"We work very strongly with helping children identify their strengths and weaknesses," Altman said.
The school serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade as well as students with gifted abilities, special needs and everything in between.
Enrollment is capped at 50 students and six spots are available for the upcoming school year, said Altman, who is one of nine members of the staff.
Altman said she's excited for the move into the new building and said the Morgan Park Presbyterian Church has been an eager partner in the process.
"They are very welcoming to us," she said.
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