Kids’ Place Gears Up for Move to New Location
The new Kids' Place location is a more modern and thoughtfully designed space and will accommodate the same number of children.
To make way for expansion of Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth, our on-site child development center will move next spring to a new building under construction a few blocks away.
Kids’ Place Child Development Center has served the families of Cook Children’s employees since 2001. Its current facility at 901 Southland Ave. will be razed after the new Kids’ Place opens.
What’s changing? Only the location. The new building is located on Cook Children’s property along Ninth Avenue between Cooper and Pruitt streets. There will be designated parking for efficient drop-off and pick-up that parents are accustomed to.
What stays the same? Everything else, including the size. The new center will match the current capacity, with improvements focused on the quality and safety of the environment rather than expansion, given the significant investment required to replace the building. The square footage is roughly equal, and the layout features 17 classrooms, enrichment areas and four playgrounds with a splash pad.
“The focus of the project has been on replacing the aging building with a more modern and thoughtfully designed space that better supports children and staff,” said Merridth Simpson, Vice President of Human Resources. The new facility will accommodate 230 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, just as before.
“We've taken the opportunity to update the building and use the latest research in early childhood and building design,” said Lara Holder, Senior Client Relations Director for Bright Horizons, which operates Kids’ Place. “We took what's working in the existing building and replicated that.”
Children currently enrolled can expect the same teachers and curriculum they enjoy now. The new home for Kids’ Place will continue to offer:
Extended operating hours: 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Below-market tuition for employees of Cook Children’s and Texas Health Resources Harris Methodist
Accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children
Plans for our Medical Center-Fort Worth campus call for construction of a new 760,000-square-foot tower that will expand the NICU, PICU, Heart Center and other areas. The historic West Tower project requires the land where Kids’ Place currently operates. Moving the child development center is an early step in the process.
Lara wants to assure parents that Bright Horizons and Cook Children's are working together for a smooth transition.
“There's been a lot of care taken into making sure that it's a great space for children, for our staff, for the families, and that there's as minimal a disruption as possible,” she said. “It’s going to be a beautiful building where wonderful things continue to take place.”
Cook Children’s helps to make the cost more affordable as a benefit for our employees.
“We know that access to reliable, high-quality childcare at an affordable rate is crucial for working parents. Our caregivers dedicate themselves to caring for others every day. This is one more way we can care for them -- by easing a major source of stress,” said Merridth. “By continuing to offer a convenient location and affordable tuition, we’re investing in our people, their families and the long-term health of our workforce.”
Read more here about how Cook Children’s partners with Bright Horizons to meet the needs of our employees.