Little Squiggles Children’s Enrichment Center is a thoughtfully designed dual-building facility (36,000 SF each) prioritizing health, safety, and playful learning. The center features 36 flexible classrooms, age-specific enrichment spaces, abundant natural light, and direct access to private and shared outdoor areas. A central parent plaza encourages community engagement, while spacious, light-filled corridors and garden areas expand educational opportunities beyond the classroom.
Project Statement
Little Squiggles Children’s Enrichment Center is as focused on its playful character as it is on the health and safety of its patrons. Collective company goals for the new center include a design to support diversity in space and instructional styles, ease of parent access, classrooms to support flexible configuration and supervision, direct access to abundant outdoor spaces, and windows to maximize natural light access.
The center consists of 2 buildings of 36,000 SF each housing 18 classrooms. The two buildings mirror each other with an ample parent plaza shared by both structures for parents to linger before and after drop-off and pick-up and to provide space for community events. In addition to the generous classrooms, the program is further supported by 3 age-appropriate enrichment classrooms including a classroom focused on STEM and art education. Employees are also able to benefit from touch-down spaces in the building.
Classrooms unfold along the circulation spine, which is flooded with natural light and terminate in views of the grounds through full-height windows. Each classroom connects visually and physically to a private courtyard playground. As part of the strategy to provide abundant natural light, clerestories where incorporated. The ample corridors designed with built-in seating and learning nooks also serve as program space for the teachers to use as additional educational space. In addition to the dedicated play yards for each age group, the building design incorporated flexible outdoor space to accommodate changing lesson plans as well as a garden area for children to use.
