Educare Flint
Located in one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the lead crisis, the Flint Early Childhood Education Center serves as a beacon of hope for young students and their families.
RDG's design for the state-of-the-art education center, which is situated on the campus of Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School and serves children ages birth to five, offers learning spaces that reinforce Educare's research-based approach to education. Inside the 36,000-SF building are 18 early learning classrooms, a STEM learning lab, theater, mindfulness rooms and interactive elements throughout, all of which are designed to encourage learning through discovery. Outside, rolling play areas and cartoon-inspired playhouses create opportunities for hands-on educational play. Because the facility is meant to also serve parents, community spaces that support learning and job training are incorporated into the design. The building and site are designed to feel welcoming, inclusive and accessible.