The Park Forest Preschool (originally named the Park Forest Day Nursery) was founded in the spring of 1967 when members of the State College United Methodist Churches saw a need to help educate neighborhood preschool children whose parents could not afford the cost. The first classes began with fifteen four-year-olds enrolled in a ten-week program. Today, the Park Forest Preschool is a nonprofit, tuition-free school for children ages 2-4 from low-income families. The school offers a comprehensive program that includes education, social skills, and developmental motor skills taught by qualified teachers in a friendly, safe environment. Each classroom includes 1-3 teachers’ aides, providing additional attention. Classes meet from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. from September to December and from January to May. The two-year-old class meets Tuesday through Thursday, while the other classes meet Monday through Friday.  The school also provides the following services to students and their families: health screenings, clothing bank for children, holiday food and gift boxes, emergency funds, and weekly parenting classes. The Park Forest Preschool Fund will enable this program to continue meeting the educational and developmental needs of the children it serves.