“Car!” It’s the cry that rings out every afternoon around the small playground outside of three of our cottages that house younger children and sibling groups. Every kid knows the signal. It means stop what you are doing, get out of the road, and let the car pass. It’s a safety measure that produces a funny sight, if you get to witness it. But it’s a process that has interrupted many a basketball game, bike ride, or skateboard session.
This is just one of the reasons our Young Children’s Village is such an exciting addition to our campus. Still slated to be complete by late Spring, the Young Children’s Village will accommodate 27 more children in three brand new cottages. It’s hard to build in the mountains in the winter, but just recently some exterior walls and roof trusses have gone up. Each board nailed into place brings the Young Children’s Village closer to reality.
The three cottages will primarily house children under the age of 12, and are just a walk across the street to the dining hall and up the hill to Williams Academy. In the middle of the cottages will be a ropes-based adventure playground. Designed by Beanstalk Builders, the playground will “provide a full body workout for kids and adults while they are having fun. Each playground element is designed to engage participants in an adventurous attempt to accomplish each event.”
Since the cottages face one another, they have sight lines to the playground and to the other cottages which will increase the supervision of all students. The roads are on the outside of the village,and all the inside space will belong to the residents. That means no more yelling, “Car!”
We are excited that these kids will have their own dedicated space that is safe from cars and away from our front entrance. It will continue to build community between these cottages and the children and staff who spend so much time outside.
– Brett Loftis, CEO
Keep watching for future updates as the cottages are completed, opened, and bustling with children!
