UAB Child Development Center
The UAB Child Development Center is a daycare center and preschool for children of employees and staff at UAB and UAB Health System. It is located on the northeast corner of 10th Avenue South and 11th Street South, adjacent to the UAB Education & Engineering Complex and near EPIC School.
The center opened in 1995 at 1113 15th Street South. It is managed and operated by KinderCare Education at Work of Lake Oswego, Oregon, with a subsidy from the university of about $250,000 per year. The program is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The director is Rene Caddell. The center's capacity is 92–106 children, and has frequently had as many as 250 families on its waitlist.
In 2016 a "Childcare Taskforce" was formed and began surveying employees about child care needs and preferences, and compiling information about child care providers in the area. As a short-term solution to excess demand, the university partnered with KinderCare and other providers to offer subsidized placement at other centers. In 2017 UAB began soliciting proposals from independent companies to build and operate a new on-campus center to serve 200 children, including infants. It was hoped that a new facility could open as soon as 2019.
Ultimately, UAB decided to construct the new facility itself. In February 2021 the University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved a $5.5 million budget for a new center would be built on the site of the former Birmingham Regional EMS System building, on the same block at 1114 16th Street South. A year later, the Board approved a budget increase to $7.45 million. In September 2022 the decision was made to move the site to the former UAB Parking Lot 15R. At the same time the overall budget increased again, to $9 million.
The 18,000 square-foot building was designed by CCR Architecture & Interiors. It was planned to accommodate 224 children ranging in age from six weeks to 8 years. It includes a nursery for up to 48 infants and indoor and outdoor play areas. The pre-kindergarten suite of rooms was designed to serve as a storm shelter for the facility. It opened in late spring 2024.
References
- Gunter, Linda (March 30, 2017) "More child care coming to campus." UAB Reporter
- Gunter, Linda (February 10, 2022) "Construction of new campus child-care facility advances." UAB Reporter
- Thrailkill, Laurel (September 21, 2022) "Revised $9M budget approved for UAB child development center." Birmingham Business Journal
- Thrailkill, Laurel (January 29, 2024) "UAB shares latest on building projects, timelines." Birmingham Business Journal
External links
- UAB Child Development Center at UAB.edu
- UAB Child Development Center at CCRArchitecture.com