The construction schedule was accelerated by the fact that the building shell and structure were already in place. The district not only saved time, it also saved an estimated 33% in construction costs by renovating an existing space rather than building from the ground up. The renovations cost NKC Schools $19.6 million; furniture and other programming expenses accounted for another $4.4 million.
The new Early Education Center, with a capacity of up to 41 classrooms, serves more than 1,000 district preschoolers. Known as the district’s early education hub, it is creating a powerful professional learning community. It houses Parents as Teachers, early childhood special education, Title I preschool, tuition preschool, state-funded preschool, and the Teen Childcare Room. Although the center doesn’t house all the preschool classrooms in the district, it is the home of most of the early education professional development and parent education events hosted by the district.
Welcoming Students to the Neighborhood
The large space might sound overwhelming until one has the opportunity to walk through its halls. The design firm and design team broke the vast expanse into seven welcoming “neighborhoods.” Each neighborhood is identified by a color and biophilic theme that represents early childhood. For example, the blue neighborhood is represented by water for absorbing, and the red neighborhood is represented by birds for soaring. The award-winning murals bring the themes to life.
The green neighborhood is the home of wonderful trees and wall graphics of the forest.
Not only are the neighborhoods designed to create independence, the design team intentionally reduced transition time for students throughout the building. The three nurses’ stations are spread throughout the site, allowing nurses to travel to students and for routine procedures to be handled in the students’ own neighborhoods. Each neighborhood also has its own library, ensuring students easy access to quality literature.
Nine-foot skylights installed throughout the building bring daylight into the space. These structures have dampers that allow staff members to control the amount of natural light within the classroom space; the lighting can be adjusted between warmer and cooler tones to create a calming environment with certain tones, while energizing with others.
The S.S. Discovery greets students and families ant they enter the learning space.
Meeting All Needs
As with all preschoolers, gross motor time is essential. While renovating the box stores, the design team softened the front of the building with three playgrounds, each with unique features to meet the needs of the children served at the Early Education Center. One of the playgrounds is 100% inclusive to allow students with devices access to the equipment without having to leave their chairs. Two playgrounds have tracks around the turfed surface, allowing students to practice their safe riding skills.
The communications panels were designed by a speech and language pathologist to ensure that students have access to communication tools even while playing outdoors with friends. Musical instruments, the drive-through, and the roller slide are just a few of the preschoolers’ outdoor favorites.
With the success of the conversion of the two box stores into the award-winning Early Education Center, NKC Schools is excited to continue the revitalization of North Prospect Plaza. The remaining 76,300 square feet will be the future home of NKC Schools Innovation and Technology Center, professional development space, and adult English and learning lab.