Emanuel, Clinton visit Englewood learning center

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former President Bill Clinton visited an Englewood early learning center Friday afternoon.

Their visit with more than a dozen kids occurred hours before the former president headlined a fundraiser for the mayor.

At the Metropolitan Family Services Learning and Wellness Center in the 5300 block of South Loomis, Emanuel and Clinton visited with pre-kindergarten students. Emanuel, with an assist from Clinton, read to the children from the book “Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons.”

>Afterward, Emanuel touted the good work of the facility he and the former president visited.

Among its many services, the center offers full-day pre-kindergarten, early learning programs, home visiting programs, health services, counseling, parent development and job readiness training.

“The value of an education is learned at home,” Emanuel said. “And helping young parents understand how to be a child’s first education is probably the most important thing that goes on here.”

The mayor also noted this was the first year every child in the city received a full day of kindergarten.

Meanwhile, Clinton said centers like the one in Englewood are important.

“We are not living in a world where we can afford not to develop the full potential of all of our people,” he said.

Tickets to the fundraiser, scheduled for Friday night, range from $500 to $25,000, according to the invitation.