Leisa Byars and husband Del McSpadden have been looking for a downtown Nashville location to open a Goddard School location for a decade. Trouble was, they couldn’t find a space that could be appropriately retrofitted to accommodate all that a childcare facility would require.
Oddly enough, Joe Bucher, director of strategic design for Southwest Value Partners, the developer of Nashville Yards, had already designed a space into the new Pinnacle Tower specifically for a child care facility.
The two entities came together and a year later executed a lease for The Goddard School to open in a 20,000-square-foot space in Nashville Yards. Byars and McSpadden own four other Goddard School locations in Hendersonville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro and a soon-to-open location in Brentwood. Byars describes The Goddard School’s philosophy as being committed to providing the best possible environment for the education, development, and safety of young children, preparing them for school and for life.
“When I first heard about Nashville Yards, I wanted to be here,” Byars told The Tennessean. “We were looking for a community, not just a development. We loved the bike pathways, the green space and the intentionality of creating a community.”
Bucher said a child care component was always part of the Nashville Yards plan.
“It’s a needed thing in the urban core,” he told The Tennessean. “There was always a child care component from the conception of that new Pinnacle tower. It was a necessary piece that we designed into the structure from the beginning. Having a phenomenal school operator is great not only for the project, but for the urban landscape as well. Nashville Yards is a neighborhood. It’s a district. We are building this so you can live and work here.”
The Goddard School of Nashville Yards, set to open in spring 2025, will enroll about 250 children from ages 6 weeks to 6 years and add about 50 teaching jobs to the community. It will be located in the new Pinnacle Tower and will span two levels, feature 15 classrooms, have flexible indoor and outdoor play areas and will incorporate train-themed design elements to coincide with the history of the Nashville Yards site.
Tenants planning to relocate to Nashville Yards have expressed excitement about being able to provide their employees with child care options close to work. Byars said she has parents who drive from downtown to their Hendersonville location and back each day.
Todd Rolapp, managing partner of Bass, Berry & Sims, which is moving to Nashville Yards, said in a release, “Providing our people with reliable, convenient child care was a primary consideration in our office relocation. We are thrilled to see it so thoughtfully incorporated into the design and development of Nashville Yards.”
Byars said while enrollment will be open to anyone, residents and tenants of Nashville Yards will receive priority placement. While enrollment for the Nashville Yards location isn’t active yet, anyone interested can call 1-800-GODDARD.
Read the full story from The Tennessean here.
Read the full press release here.