Sponsor:  Seeking sponsorship now - please contact Director Sharon!

Problem:  Children frequently are immersed in electronic media at home - video games and so forth - simply because of our harsh local winters.  When the economy is tight families can’t afford to go out on play dates to fun indoor locations.  The “hunker-down” effect takes over. How to get out of the indoor doldrums?

Solution:  We’d like to engage our children’s imaginations with something real and substantial.  We are thinking of something that will make their play space at the Academy memorable and fantastical.  We also believe that parents will appreciate the vertical space and visual impact of our vision and make parents think: “I wish this had been my Day Care Center when I was a child!”  We’d like to find the resources for an internal “play loft” that matches our need for quality, beauty, and safety.

Special Arrangements:  We propose that this project would be manufactured by a local craftsman:  Gene Handy of Handy Woodworking and Cabinetry.

Goal:  Provide a space for infants and toddlers (and make the older children jealous) that gives them some physical and visual height.  Help the young ones learn how to negotiate stairs safely, and give them a place to dream.

• Gross Motor Skills: navigate stairs
• Confidence: learn to deal with heights (safely)
• Reading: provide a special reading nook for quiet time
• Imagination: provide a space that says “Adventure!” to the young’uns