INTRODUCTION

The Stanton Friends Committee recently adopted a "Vision for the Future". The basic tenets of the vision included the following goals.

• Expand child day care facility to accommodate twice as many children as currently provided for.
• Update the Preschool with the ability to teach Christian values.
• Create a new facility for our children to grow and develop during and after school periods.
• Create a community center for;
  • Wellness (adult fitness/activity center),
  • Education (preschool/community library),
  • Health, and
  • Safety.
• Create an environment for Stanton to grow by attracting new Families and Businesses.
• Help the School remain self-sufficient.

These statements set the basis for the use and occupancy, and spatial need of the proposed development. This chapter examines the use and occupancy requirements for the facility(ies) that might be developed to serve such purposes and formulate approximate spatial needs for that purpose.

CHILD DAY CARE CENTER

The current child day care provider in Stanton is the Stanton Child Resource Center. It is located at 622 N. Halland Avenue in a building previously used as a business. The size of the facility is 45’ x 110’, or 4,950 square feet. The Center is licensed for 80 children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years-old. The Center has a current enrollment of 138-140 children.

The stated needs of the proposed center as provided by the Stanton Child Resource Center are as follows:

• Increased licensed capacity - 160 children.
• Centralized administration/office location with vision of entire facility.
• 35 square feet per child 6 weeks to 2 ½ years old, 40 square feet per child in rooms with cribs.
• 40 square feet per child over 2 ½ years old.
• Changing table and sink for every 15 children 2 months to 2 ½ years old.
• Toilet and sink for every 15 children.
• Restroom (male/female) location adjacent to each classroom.
• Storm shelter.
• Common area.
• Kitchen area.
• Break room/Locker area for staff.
• Sound insulation in classrooms.
• Exterior egress/windows from each room.
• Secured ingress and egress, panic egress equipment, coded passage locking system.
• Central fire alarm system/sprinkled building system.
• Exterior playground equipped for multiple age groups.
• Family oriented interior finishes.
• Convenient parking and safe drop off points.

Child day care centers are classified by the 2006 IBC as Group I-4 occupancy for facilities that provide for supervision and care on less than a 24-hour basis for more than five children 2 ½ years of age or less. The use of a building or structure, or portion thereof, for educational, supervision or personal care services for more than five children older than 2 ½ years old, is classified as a Group E occupancy. The current center has a mixed classification of E and I-4.

Accordingly, the fire-resistance rating for fire barrier assemblies between I-4 and E classifications is 2-hour. Fire separation can be achieved through physical separation or through the construction of interior fire barrier systems. In mixed classification centers, the more restrictive classification takes precedence.

To meet the desired certification requirements of 160 children, a center would have to be sized at 40 square feet per child plus 30% for common areas, surplus usage and administrative purpose. A total of 8,000 square feet would be required in a stand alone building structure to provide this level of service.

RELIGIOUS BASED PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM

Pre-school in Stanton is currently provided by the Stanton Child Resource Center and the Good Shepherd Christian School which is conducted out of the Mamrelund Church basement. The Good Shepherd Christian School program has been provided out of this facility since 1989 and provides 3 hours of religious based preschool services, three days a week for three and four year olds in the community. The center has a current enrollment of approximately 25 children, but has operated with as many as 40 children in the past. With allowances for shared space and scheduling, the spatial requirement for this service would be provided for up to 40 children.

Beginning with the current school year, the Good Shepherd Christian School program will be operated out of the Stanton Child Resource Center due to a requirement by the Fire Marshal’s office to install a fire alarm system throughout the church building. The cost of this system has been estimated to cost $30,000. Provisions for this expensive retrofit cannot be made in a timely fashion to allow the preschool to continue to operate out of the church basement in the near term.

It is a goal of the Committee to continue religious based preschool services in Stanton. This can best be accomplished through shared services with the Community School District and Stanton Child Resource Center. If possible, it is desired to discontinue preschool services at the existing location.

PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM

It is the intention of the Community School District to provide facilities for a Voluntary Preschool Program for four year olds and for five year olds not attending kindergarten. The new program would meet 12 hours per week. The proposed preschool would provide a research-based curriculum meeting QPPS standards. Parents wishing to maintain the half-day structure of the preschool, preschool for three year old children and faith based preschool curriculum will be allowed to continue preschool services outside the required school based program.

The estimated number of eligible four-year-olds to be served at the school site is 20. The immediate spatial needs for this service would be provided for 20 students.

Preschool facilities are classified by the 2006 IBC as Group E occupancy for facilities that provide the use of a building or structure, or portion thereof, by six or more persons at any one time for educational purposes through the 12th grade. For purposes of this occupancy, the E classification will take precedence.

LIBRARY

The existing City library is operated out of the old City Hall on Broad Street. The library is a full service library containing approximately 1,000 square feet of space. It is open Monday through Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening and on Saturday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The School District media center is currently located in the existing school building complex and contains approximately 2,000 square feet.

The Committee’s desire is that library services within the community be shared. The new library space is to provide a minimum of 4,000 square feet. When fully stocked, a 4,000 square foot library would allow for an occupancy load of 40 persons.

COMMUNITY CENTER

The committee desires to create a community center (multi-purpose building) with a broad goal of providing facilities for wellness, education, health and safety. The specific uses include adult fitness, activity center, pre-school, community library and facility where the community could receive attention to health and safety.

Provisions of space to fulfill this goal would include a social center with kitchen and seating for 100 people, a standard size gymnasium with extending bleachers, exercise rooms and walking track, male/female restrooms and lockers, auxiliary space for clinic purposes, storm shelter and storage.

The space would be shared by the School District and Community. Rooms or designated spaces within the facility may accomplish more than one purpose with proper scheduling and agency agreement.

The Committee’s expectation of the size of a multi-purpose structure needed for the purposes described is 28,000 square feet, at a minimum, including child day care, pre-school and library.