ODE TO JOYTIME

The rules were simple, but golden. “Never hurt anyone on the outside. Never hurt anyone on the inside.” Most importantly, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” And it was these principles that guided Joytime, the little neighborhood school that Lake Forest College alumni Joy and Earle Hodgen opened in 1953. It was an innovative time in early childhood education, one that ushered in a progressive new age. “Joytime was welcoming to all children, no matter their ethnic background,” explains Kathleen Hodgen, who has fond memories of the beloved institution that her late parents founded and where, in 1973, she would join their staff. “We felt children would benefit greatly from exposure to other children that had different customs and language besides their own.” The timing to open such a school could not have been better. Mary Hart Daycare had just closed in Lake Forest, leaving a need in the community that Joytime immediately filled. Then in 1962, when the Lake Forest School Board discontinued its Junior Kindergarten program, Joytime again stepped up and became the first preschool in Lake Forest. “It was an immediate sensation,” says Kathleen. “To ensure a spot, mothers rushed to sign up their child as soon as they discovered they were pregnant.” There were waiting lists. There was buzz. “Our expansive play yard provided many opportunities for physical activity,” she says. “The children also had lots of room to run and have fun in nature.” They could run up and Big Wheel (or tube) down Joytime mountain. There was a merry-go-round, places to climb, flower and vegetable gardens, and areas to dig for worms. To say it was magical is an understatement. “We believed that children should continue to develop their imaginations by learning through play,” adds Kathleen, who worked side by side with her mother until she died in 1991, taking over as director until the school closed in 2013. “Over the years, computers were starting to be a big part of our lives and we decided not to incorporate them and continue with what worked—a culture that fosters caring behavior, self-esteem, and the capacity to problem solve.” Joytime educated more than 3,000 students in its 60-year history, building generations of memories that will not be soon forgotten. “In addition to watching their self-confidence and empathy blossom, our children learned that we all have differences—different skin color, different languages—and we all share many similarities as well. Lessons that we all can use today.” On October 1, 10 years after Joytime closed its little blue door for the final time, Kathleen honored her parents and the work they did in Lake Forest by dedicating a memorial bench and boulder in South Park. “Many alumni and friends attended the ceremony and shared their stories,” she says, who raised the $4,000 needed for the installation through GoFundMe. “My heart is so full of happiness to finally have closure for Joytime—to be able to visit the park and reminisce myself, or have others do the same or wonder what it was like when the school was there.” The bench and boulder are situated on the site of the former school property in a prominent place where all can see—right where the sidewalk ends.