Martha Mann has been director of Columbus Air Force Base”s Child Development Center for the past 16 years, working through a time when child care was more like baby-sitting. Since then, day care has evolved, into character building and teaching young children to be prepared for school. But the building, built in 1968, didn”t change with the times. So when a design committee asked for Mann”s input on a new center, she had a few ideas.
Paired with efforts to make the $7.9 million building meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, those ideas led to “a brand new, world-class child care facility,” Capt. Marshall Buck of the 41st Flying Training Squadron said in a press release.
Since the facility first welcomed children on Nov. 1, it has far surpassed expectations, Mann said. And at more than twice the size of the old building, the new space serves 102 children, with room to grow.
“We are thrilled to be in here,” Mann said, standing in the heart of the building, where letters of the alphabet are shown racing toward the top of a coconut tree. The theme, taken from the children”s favorite book, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” is highlighted throughout the state-of-the art building, in subdued greens, blues and oranges, even made into 3-D tack boards outside of classrooms.
The decor, while vibrant and eye-catching, is only a small part of the building”s story.
Boasting a plethora of windows to take advantage of natural light and all-wood furniture, the new facility meets the gold standard for LEED.
One of Mann”s favorite features is the reading room below a “lantern,” which allows natural light to illuminate the area.
Lighting in classrooms is set so the lights can be turned off in sections depending on how much light is coming from outside.
“Every room in this building, with the exception of the adult bathrooms, has windows,” Mann noted.
“The natural light has made such an impact on us, even as adults,” she later added.
Through the windows, many students can see their neighborhood, which is a two-fold advantage.
“That encourages people to walk their kids to school,” another “green” factor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resident engineer Justin Murphree said.
For the children, it also gives them a sense of security, Mann added.
“The No. 1 priority with this project has been safety,” said Murphree, who has been involved in “a lot of projects.”
Finger guards are on every doorway, and electrical outlets are 54 inches from the ground. More than 50 cameras are active throughout the building”s exterior and interior. The director can monitor the cameras from her office or from monitors at the center”s entrance, and parents can watch their child”s classroom from Mann”s computer. With these safety measures, energy efficiency and conservation efforts during construction, the project achieved a gold rating from LEED.
“The Air Force actually requires silver for all its projects,” noted Andy Duty, chief of design for CAFB.
“Part of it”s energy like the lights. Part of it is using recycled products and recycling construction debris,” Murphree explained.
The center is the first LEED building on the base and marks the first president-budgeted military project at CAFB in 13 years.
Since opening, the facility has added 12 children to its programs, which range from 6-week-old infants to pre-schoolers. It has room for up to 135.
The old building, Mann admitted, was a turnoff to parents, some of whom chose to place their children in off-base centers.
“Being a military family, they come from all over, and we were one of the only (base centers) still in such an old facility,” she said.
According to CAFB Public Affairs, “the new center is internationally recognized as a green building in areas of energy savings performance, water efficiency, improved environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”
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