There is not a day that goes by at Cerritos College where you do not hear some sort of construction going on. In the grand scheme of things all of this ruckus that is being kept up would have been well worth it right?
Director of Child Development Debra Ward seems to think so in a recent interview regarding the new child development building and the construction process as a whole.
For those of you who do not know what the exact function of the child development building is Ward describes it as a “pedagogical training site.”
In which students who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching whether it be pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or elementary school here is where they can receive that “on the job training,” in the words of Ward.
“We opened the building on January 2nd. We had an official open house and ribbon cutting on February 4th,” Ward explained.
According to Ward the construction process took approximately six months. Starting the job in June of 2014 and having it completed by December of the very same year.
“It started in June 2014 and it was completed the end of December, however, there still some things that still needed to be addressed. But we were able to relocate and occupy this building,” admitted Ward.
In regards to the things that needed to be addressed Ward attributed to simple things such as some painting and the punch list among others. However, one of the bigger issues was the issue of drainage.
“When it rains we flood,” Ward stated simple and plain.
“We’re closing for spring break so those draining issues can be addressed. They’re going to be putting some pumps in for the renovations, Ward added.
Ultimately, decisions on started construction for a particular project has to start with a reason in mind as to why an upgrade was in order. This situation was no different for Ward and company.
“The first building had been around for 35 years. It was not designed as a child development center. The [original] child development program was off-site and then it came over here to the campus. It used the former cosmetology building so the building was not designed for children,” Ward stated.
Due to the issues that was faced in the former building Ward wanted to see the new site be more spacious with a more child friendly environment.
“Space. We received a lot more space. Specifically designed for children. Bathrooms are child sized. We have more space for administration…We have lab areas for students to work with the children,” Ward continued.
If meals are the reason for concern on your end, the worrying stops here. The new child development building includes a “upscale kitchen,” where with the help of some culinary students the children receive breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.
Not to mention the obvious, in which Ward called it a “State of the art playground.”
No matter how much planning and preparation is taken in regards to a project of this magnitude some complications are bound to be faced.
However, in Ward’s case aside from the drainage issue the only other issue is that they face is not a significant shade structure that protects the children from the sun since majority of the trees are not fully grown.
Ward also keyed in on the fact that the original construction plan called for the child development center to be placed where the new Fine Arts building is being built currently, therefore they had to relocate before construction could commence.
As far as expectations went for Ward and her staff in her words it turned out exactly how they envisioned it.
“We find ourselves asking each other why didn’t we put the sink here? Or simply things like that. Other than that it did come out the way myself, the staff, and the children when we got together to come up with the vision and we were able to share that vision with the architect,” Ward states.
However, Ward may get another chance at correcting any mistakes she may have felt she made as the Director of Physical Plant and Construction Services, David Moore tells me that this child development center may only be temporary and a newer one may be in the works.
