In the News

This building brings together two of San Antonio College’s (SAC) cherished programs: The nationally accredited Early Childhood Center and the STEAM-focused Santikos Micronaut Center.

Early Childhood Center (ECC)

The ECC provides SAC students, staff, faculty, and the community with childcare services for children four years of age and younger. It also functions as a training laboratory for Early Childhood Studies students in an early care and education associate degree program. The design supports the unique ways in which young children learn, while considering areas of social, emotional, physical, cognitive, creative, and language development.

Emphasis on Imaginative Play

Classrooms are customized for children by age, with rooms for infants, mobile infants, and preschool children, all designed so children can learn, play, eat, nap, and use the restrooms without leaving the room. Each classroom also has direct access to an enclosed, age-appropriate playground. A covered patio provides ample space to play outside, even when it’s raining.

Narrated by Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle, Kristin Leija, and Jayna Duke

Distinguishing Features, Fun Inside

SAC red brick and metal panels integrate the exterior with the rest of the campus while gray brick accents distinguish this building. The interiors are playful, incorporating primary colors, natural materials, and different textures to engage children’s senses. Every classroom has access to the playground offering a nature-based play area – zoned by age group – giving little ones opportunities to plant their very own seeds of discovery.

Narrated by Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle

Serving the Student Population

Many students are food insecure; SAC offers resources to provide students with basic needs. In this spirit, we were asked to incorporate a small fruit forest into the design and designate an area for a future community garden as well.

Narrated by Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle

John L. Santikos Micronaut Center (Micronauts)

Sparking the imagination of local school children, Micronauts is designed to simulate a space mission while igniting an interest in science for children ages four to nine.

SAC has offered the Micronaut program for children at the Scobee Education Center’s Challenger Learning Center since 2015. Because the Challenger center is designed for students in grades six and up, staff would have to adapt the areas to cater to young children for Micronauts programming.

A $500,000 grant from the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation, a fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation, allowed SAC to develop a dedicated center designed for younger children. A team of local early childhood experts, educators and other community stakeholders planned the center concept and created the activities to serve young students.

Lighting, finishes, and furniture create the experience of traveling to space. The flexible floor plan allows for various stations, maximizing scientific interest. The Micronauts Center not only creates educational opportunities but also introduces younger children to the possibilities of STEM subjects and college.

Narrated by Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle and Jayna Duke

To discuss the possibility of unique projects like these at your institution, contact Misela Gonzales-Vandawalle. Feel free to explore additional stories of the ECC’s design using these links:

Technical Considerations narrated by Davis Eubanks

Welcoming Entry narrated by Jayna Duke

 

Photos by: Joe Aker

General Contractor: Vaughn Construction