Mission and History

The Rose K. Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education provides services for 92 children from its location on Dominican University’s Priory Campus. The facility features individual play areas for each of its five classrooms as well as a large playground for the children. The center also includes observation rooms with one-way mirrors to give teachers-in-training and education professionals the opportunity to observe activities without distracting children.

Mission

The Rose K. Goedert Center is committed to providing quality, holistic, early childhood education for children ages 2 through 5, while providing an on-campus learning environment for students in Dominican University’s School of Education.

History

The facility is named in memory of Rose K. Goedert, who devoted her life to promoting high-quality, inclusive education for all children. 

Rose Kelliher Goedert graduated from Rosary College in 1936, following her sisters Agnes Kelliher ’29 and Anne Kelliher Lynch ’32. The year she graduated, she met John P. "Jack" Goedert at a Rosary Sunday tea dance. Jack, a graduate of a Catholic high school, university and law school, was an attorney and Certified Public Accountant.

The Goederts were married in 1940 and raised their family in River Forest. Rose’s commitment to the education and well-being of children began in earnest when she discovered that her youngest son, Mike, was deaf. Determined to provide Mike with a quality education, Rose and John became lifelong advocates for early childhood education.

Jack, who passed away in 2011, long wished to honor his wife’s memory and her commitment to the education of all children. In 2005 he donated funding to create the Rose K. Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education. He also added a provision in his estate plan to further fund this memorial project after his death. Through Jack’s thoughtful philanthropic planning and vision, quality early childhood education flourishes at Dominican, providing a lasting legacy for the Goedert family.