The Child Development Center on the Hill

Editor, Stephen Kelly

At the Child Development Center for Contra Costa Community College in San Pablo, Calif., special consideration was given to providing an accessible route up the hill to the Center and assuring the building was a seismic-safe structure for the children.

Contra Costa College is a two-year community college in San Pablo, Calif. San Pablo is in the San Francisco East Bay Area, between the northern end of the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Bay. The city is basically surrounded by the city of Richmond.

Classes began at the college in 1950. Back then, the campus was just a few wooden buildings, lots of blacktop, no grass and a parking lot with a railroad line bisecting it! Ah, the ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Security features include open views of all activity areas, gates, fences and direct classroom access to the exterior play area. The fences and gates also separate the different age groups. Flagstone offers a decorative contrast to the concrete.

The idea of offering an on-campus facility for children of attending students in those Spartan but backward days was, well, unimaginable.

Well, that was then. The Child Development Center for Contra Costa Community College in San Pablo, Calif. is a 14,500 sq. ft. space serving 12 infants, 12 toddlers and 72 preschool children. The center replaces an old portable building.

Interactive Resources designed the new center and Richard Splenda & Associates of Berkeley designed the outdoor park-like play and developmentally appropriate educational areas for the infant, toddler and preschool groups.

This side of the preschool play area offers two garden enclosures (the semi-enclosed concrete structures), a water jug filler/shower, lawn area, sand play and swings with a poured-in-place safety surface. Hardscape accents include river rock and cast-in-place imprinted concrete paving. Nature?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Child Development Center was built on an existing parking lot. The center offers a range of support services for students, including tuition reimbursement, job placement assistance, access to child care, transportation, tutors, faculty mentors and on-campus support groups.

Center operations include preschool instruction, evening care and drop-in care.

ADA compliant parking and the safe and easy child drop-off and pick-up area is just below the hill on which the Child Development Center stands.

The square footage of the outdoor areas was specified by the California State Office architect, so as to meet requirements for a child development facility.

?EUR??,,????'?????<

Although the area is a fairly narrow and compact space, the landscape architect fit grass areas and sand play along with such traditional elements as ladders, tunnels, slides, ramps and bridges.

The children?EUR??,,????'?????<

Design features include two vegetable gardens and a complete children?EUR??,,????'?????<

The tile-red colored concrete and Mexican primroses are a recurring theme for the Child Development Center.

The children at the Child Development Center (?EUR??,,????'?????<

The educators teach the children how to grow vegetables, pick them and prepare them in the kitchen! Yes, we must cultivate our gardens and any effort to teach kids whence our food is a noble effort.

 

Contra Costa College?EUR??,,????'?????<

Security features include a protective design to keep children safe. There are open views of all activity areas, gates and fences. Safe and easy children drop-off and pick-up areas; direct classroom access to exterior play area; and ADA compliant parking. Fences and gates provide security but also separate the different age groups.

San Pablo?EUR??,,????'?????<
Photo: USGA

Beautiful landscaped grounds and carefully designed play areas enhance the views of San Pablo Bay. A tunnel, basketball court, gently sloping lawn areas, ground surfaces with different textures, outside sinks, and an exterior canopy offers protection from the weather.

Special consideration was given to provide an accessible route for the children to the earthquake safe building located on the hillside. San Pablo?EUR??,,????'?????<

---

Child Development Center
Contra Costa College ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Owner
Contra Costa College Community District

Landscape Architect
Riahard Splenda & Associates
Richard Splenda, MLA ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Irrigation Consultant
Susan Merriman, Landscape Architect

Client
Interactive Resources, Inc.
George Namkung, AIA, Architect

General Contractor (building)
KRAMA Inc.

Play Equipment
Landscape Structures

Poured Surfaces
Surface America

Jug Filler, Shower
Most Dependable Fountains, Inc.

Play Equipment
Landscape Structures

Landscape Contractor
Bauman Landscape, Inc. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Play Equipment, Site Items, Planting,
Irrigation, Maintenance

---

Site Flora

Victorian box tree

Tulip tree

Cork oak tree

Coast redwood

London plane

Hall?EUR??,,????'?????<

Mexican primrose

Star jasmine

Burmese honeysuckle

Boston ivy