The participants at Lakeside Center moved to a new home this week as programming officially started at the new facility on 144 Commerce Drive in Grayslake.
From the outset, the Grayslake location offers a more welcoming and warm greeting to participants and visitors, boasting a beautiful brick exterior and nestled in a community of surrounding businesses – a stark contrast to the warehouse aesthetic of the old Waukgean location.
Inside, the 15,000-square-foot facility is conveniently divided into seven rooms and four suite areas, giving both participants and staff the space they need for focused classroom and administrative space. The setup has already shown to be a big improvement compared to the old facility where work was done primarily in two, big open spaces.
The nature of the programming has also become more focused allowing individuals a greater range of choices. Rooms are divided into Earn, Learn, Create and Recreate spaces. In the Earn curriculum, individuals learn work skills and social skills for potential employment. In the Learn area, people can work on subjects like math, reading, and writing. Create allows participants to engage in art, dance, and other outlets while Recreate focuses on health, fitness, and community engagement.
The new home and new approach have already received rave reviews from families. Roughly 100 people attended a private open house for Lakeside Center families to see the new facility and Cortney Lucente, Assistant Director of Lake County Community Day Services, said the feedback was nothing but positive.
“People thought it was amazing,” Cortney said. “When you compare it to the old location, just the rooms, carpeting, the whole space is just so inviting and really conducive to what we are doing here. It’s a big difference.”
A public open house is being planned in the near future to give all Little City families and supporters a chance to see the new facility. The new location was made possible thanks in part to the successful sale of the old Lakeside Center.
