WashU Medicine to open new location for Child Development Center on Medical Campus
$17 million in renovations creates expansive, modern facility to support WashU Medicine, BJC employees’ childcare needs
Lamar Johnson CollaborativeThe newly designed childcare facility in the Taylor Avenue Building features modern classrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas, and parent engagement spaces.
WashU Medicine is set to open a new, more spacious child development center in a new location to better support the childcare needs of Medical Campus employees. Situated in the Taylor Avenue Building – in the heart of the Medical Campus – the modern, renovated facility was planned in cooperation with BJC HealthCare and is thoughtfully designed for families, children and caregivers, and will offer a nurturing and enriching environment for young children.
The new center, at 610 S. Taylor, opens April 29. It will replace the Clayton Avenue Building Child Development Center on the Medical Campus and serve families whose children currently attend that center. A second St. Louis Children’s Hospital Child Development Center on the Medical Campus, at 321 S. Newstead, will remain open for the children of employees. Staff from St. Louis Children’s Hospital will continue to operate both centers.
With the Clayton Avenue Building in need of extensive updates and repairs, WashU Medicine opted to renovate space in the Taylor Avenue Building and relocate the childcare center rather than close it and lose on-campus childcare spaces. WashU Medicine provided nearly $17 million in funding for the project’s renovations.
The new childcare center features more classroom space, indoor and outdoor play areas, a library, abundant natural light and a convenient on-campus location. It also nearly doubles the square footage of the Clayton Avenue facility and increases the number of classrooms from 18 to 23. The space can accommodate 264 children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Renovations also expand the size of indoor gathering areas and outdoor playgrounds and provide more room for on-site storage of childcare essentials, such as strollers, car seats, toys and books.
“On-site childcare is crucial for the Medical Campus, as it provides health-care workers the support they need to balance their demanding roles and family responsibilities,” said Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins, WashU Medicine’s associate vice chancellor and associate dean of operations and facilities management.
WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare began planning the renovation last year when office space changes created an opportunity to re-envision a part of the Taylor Avenue building as a state-of-the-art childcare facility.
The new facility offers a variety of kid-friendly classrooms, each custom-designed to meet the needs of children in three separate age groups. Children will have access to indoor play areas, as well as two outside playgrounds, one designed for infants and toddlers and another for pre-school and pre-kindergarten classes. Parental interaction will be encouraged, including spaces for parent-teacher meetings and a lactation room.
“Our goal is to help parents concentrate on their job responsibilities while staying involved in their children’s lives throughout the day,” Rockwell-Hopkins said. “We want to provide their children with an interesting and inspiring environment, one that helps them learn, grow and thrive.”
The Taylor Avenue space was designed by architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative.
More information on WashU Medicine and BJC employee childcare options is available on the Graduate Medical Education Consortium website and a part of the WashU Human Resources website devoted to Work-Life & Family Care. Applications for the waiting list can be found here.
