Named after Fredrick Douglass Moore, a vibrant and influential community leader in Southeast Denton, the Fred Moore Day Nursery School (FMDNS) became Denton ISD’s first early childcare center open to the public. Moore, a prominent Black educator who deeply valued education, served as the first principal of Denton’s only school for African Americans from 1915 to 1953. His impact on the community was widely recognized: the City of Denton dedicated Fred Moore Park in his honor in 1948, and Denton ISD named the newly built Fred Moore High School after him in 1949.
That same year, he was named “Man of the Year” by Applause magazine. In 1952, volunteers opened FMDNS—also named in his honor—after discovering that many young working families in the community were leaving their children home alone due to limited access to affordable childcare. His daughter, Hazel Moore Young, became the school’s first volunteer, caring for ten children during its inaugural year. The school operated as a nonprofit for nearly 70 years before becoming Denton ISD’s first child development center open to the general public in June 2021.
In May 2024, FMDNS relocated to the Gonzalez School for Young Children(GSYC) building. Now known as “FMDNS @ Gonzalez”, we continue to uphold the original mission of FMDNS by offering affordable child care to all Denton ISD employees and the general public, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
More classroom space at Gonzalez allowed our program to grow and expand the age group we serve to include 4-year-olds. Additionally, we offer summer programming for Kindergarten - 2nd graders.
FMDNS is a Texas Rising Star 4-Star Certified Program, meaning our center meets the highest standards for director & staff qualifications and training, teacher-child interactions, program administration, and indoor/outdoor environments.
We are also a Texas School Ready Participant. Visit https://texasschoolready.org/ for more information
