Location: Peninsula College, Port Angeles
Owner: Peninsula Community College

The new Educare Center in Building K at Peninsula College is carefully sited next to wetlands and the campus Longhouse. This building holds space for the Allied Health program, Early Childhood professional technical education, and the Early Childhood Development Center with both pre-K and toddler play areas. The children’s outdoor classroom and play spaces are designed to encourage the development of different modes of learning using loose-parts play and creative exploration of the natural world. A variety of play equipment, including a music station, garden, various climbing and water play structures, as well as two trike tracks created for different age levels have been provided for visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, logical-mathematical, and other child-centered learning experiences.

Building K is a strong anchor for the southern edge of the college campus, with a dynamic pedestrian spine linking the facility with the main campus quadrangle. Sustainable site design techniques include biofiltration for parking lot stormwater, pervious pavement, wetland enhancement, and retention of existing trees.