Oak Park's unique 'Kindness Creators' bridges generations with daycare inside a retirement home

OAK PARK, Ill. - There is a special place in Oak Park for the young and young at heart. 

Like peanut butter and jelly, two friends came up with the ultimate combo: a daycare inside a retirement home. 

During a typical day at Kindness Creators, the trains are on the right track.

The general store is open for business and the recently crowned senior homecoming queen is greeting her tiny fans. 

"I see it as a full circle as people get older. They relate more to kids, kids relate more to older people and there's so many benefits for both," said Pam Lawrence.

Friends and teachers Lawrence and Jaime Moran founded the intergenerational preschool in 2019.

They called it Kindness Creators with the goal of building acceptance outside the classroom. 

"They have learned we are all unique in our own ways. We say that we use tools, so I have glasses, that's my tool. Some friends have walkers, that's their tool. So we have different things that help us manage our day and to get through life," said Moran.

The energy the kids bring is just what the doctor ordered. 

"When you're not feeling good, you see the kids, they bring your spirits up," said Margaret Schwarz, senior resident.

"With what's going on in the world now, you get so much in your head, and just coming down here helps with that," said Anne Gressle, retired teacher and senior resident.

In addition to a pre-K curriculum, the students participate in special activities with their senior friends. 

"Sometimes we do crafts," said four-year-old Ace Davis.

"I color with them," said four-year-old Sam Michelin. 

"The residents who live here sometimes don't have visitors," said Moran. "It sounds cheesy but we're just building kindness into the day and we just talk to the kids, sometimes just looking someone in the face and smiling makes their day like that's just spreading kindness so it's the small things that really help." 

Kindness Creators is open to kids ages three to five. It's open five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Because they are a non-profit, they offer scholarships for families who might struggle to pay the tuition fee.