Site work and new construction of an educational facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Completed plans call for the construction of a 38,000-square-foot educational facility.

Plans are ready for the Council Bluffs Community School District's 38,000-square-foot Early Learning Center that will be built facing east at North Eighth Street and Avenue G. The property was once the site of Tinley School and, more recently, the Kanesville Alternative Learning Center. The facility will have 11 preschool classrooms, three rooms for some combination of infants and toddlers, two motor skills rooms (one large and one small), a large multipurpose room, an office suite with health office and conference room and other work and storage rooms, a floor plan from BVH Architecture shows. The large motor skills room will be like an indoor playground, with a spiral slide, climbing ramp (not wall) and tricycling area. The centerpiece will be a large artificial tree, and a landscape will be painted on the walls. "This room is kind of themed like a park," said Roger Slosson, project manager for BVH Architecture, during a presentation to the Council Bluffs Board of Education Tuesday. There will be a large door that will open to a large outdoor playground on the west side of the building, he said. There will be two other outdoor playgrounds for smaller children. The small motor skills room will have a small stage area where children can play small musical instruments or present other performances. There will be large blocks and toys for them to play with, and the walls will be painted with landscape and cityscape scenes. There will be parking along the east side of the building facing North Eighth Street and in a lot across Avenue F south of the building. The Early Learning Center, described by the state as a Childcare and Early Learning Exploratory Project, will serve as an early childhood learning model. The goal, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, will be to demonstrate how to deliver public school-provided early learning in large and small school districts throughout the state. A consultant from the University of Kansas will work directly with the school district on the review of the program. The facility will allow the district to serve an additional 200 children, school officials estimate. That will likely break down to 175 preschoolers and 25 to 30 infants to toddlers in childcare, according to Chris LaFerla, executive director of the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation. The school system currently offers preschool instruction in 32 classrooms in elementary schools throughout the district, but many children are on a waiting list to get into its preschool program. "The Council Bluffs Schools is eager to partner with the Iowa Department of Education and the consultant team from the Juniper Gardens Children's Project at the University of Kansas to serve as a model to demonstrate the impact and scalability of a public school district early learning center that serves infants, toddlers and preschoolers," Superintendent Vickie Murillo said in January. "We are thrilled to serve as a model site for the state and are proud to be selected by the governor for this project. "We are fulfilling a need in our community while also developing best practices in school-based childcare," she continued. "We look forward to seeing how this will ultimately allow other Iowa school districts to successfully serve young learners in their communities, as well. Through collaboration with the Iowa Department of Education and Juniper Gardens, we will be co-designing a multi-tiered system of support that meets the needs of our community related to early childhood, as identified through a needs assessment." The total project cost is now estimated at $18,432,496, including land acquisition, professional fees, movable equipment and furnishings, according to Darrel Meyer, project manager for the school district. A cost escalation of 5%---- about $756,030 -- was added to the previous estimate because of rising construction costs, he said. As of Wednesday, $16,555,000 had been raised for the project, LaFerla said. The Council Bluffs Schools Foundation is leading the fundraising efforts. "The donors and community members I meet with are enthusiastic about the project," LaFerla said. "I think we all recognize that the Early Learning Center is going to have a transformational impact on our community and the families we serve." The foundation received a $100,000 donation from Dr. Behrouz and Christiane Rassekh in January. Other funds include $5 million of a $7 million state grant, $5 million from the school district's Secure an Advanced Vision for Education sales tax and Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, $4 million from an anonymous lead donor, $1.04 million from the Iowa West Foundation, $1 million from another foundation, $100,000 from American National Bank and many other donations from private foundations, businesses and individuals. The district plans to set aside $2.24 million to establish an endowment to help cover operating costs. Southwest Iowa Nonprofit for Collective Impact is also raising money for the project. Grading of the construction site will start this week, Meyer said. Bids on the construction will be accepted until March 24, and the Board of Education plans to award a contract on April 12. The goal is for the building to be completed in June 2023 and open in August. Substitution Requests must be rec’d by BVH no later than 5:00pm on Monday, March 14th, 2022 Request for Clarifications must be received by BVH no later than 5:00pm on Thursday, March 17th, 2022.