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Construction on mega-daycare center in Deerfield Township to resume this month

West Chester facility has open house Saturday
Construction on mega-daycare center in Deerfield Township  to resume this month
Posted at 8:00 AM, Mar 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-18 08:00:23-04

DEERFIELD TWP, Ohio -- Construction on the Children's Learning Adventure Childcare Center in Deerfield Township will resume in the next couple of weeks, according to a company spokesperson at its Phoenix headquarters.

Daniel R. Petersen, vice president of development, said the center, which was put on a construction hold earlier this year, will now open in the early part of 2018. He said crews have been on site this month removing some water.

"We've had lots of parent inquiries," he said, adding that there is community enthusiasm for the project.

In January, Petersen said developers had "every intention of completing the project" in Deerfield after the township said it had been told that the project "was ceasing construction operations."

The company's first offering in the area, the Children's Learning Adventure Childcare Center in West Chester Township, officially opens March 18 with an open house. Petersen, who will be on site for that event, said he's expecting a lot of people.

The earlier story about construction ending in Deerfield caused a stir in the community.

The township had already approved all zoning requirements, said Lois McKnight, community development director. And, according to Warren County's website, Children's Learning Adventure had received various building permits for the project at 8310 Wilkens Blvd. on land in front of the Lifetime Fitness facility.

McKnight said she had received a call on Jan. 11 from Richard Kraus, who represented himself as an agent for the company that owns the land, saying the project was over.

But Children's Learning Adventure's Petersen quickly said that wasn't true and that the daycare would eventually be built.

Cleveland Construction Co. of Mentor, Ohio, is the builder.

Like West Chester, the Deerfield center will take care of children ages 6 to 12, said Petersen.

The license capacity is for more than 500 children in 33,000 square feet of space, "but we generally don't have that many children in the building at any given time," he said. "It's important to note that because of how we operate that we run at or below state requirements in terms of ratios (teacher to child)."

Part of the preschool program includes a miniature TV studio. "The real intent is to teach public speaking and speaking in front of a group," said Petersen.

Other facilities include a culinary space, a math and science lab, a bowling alley and basketball courts.

But Petersen said "our forte is summer camps," which are offered for kids through age 12.

Before- and after-school care is also offered for kids.

The West Chester site's open house and registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at 8110 Market Place Drive. Visitors can tour the mega-daycare center as well.

Peterson said a large turnout is expected and a heated outdoor tent would be provided in case lines were long.

The company owns Children's Learning Adventure centers in several states including Arizona, Texas, Indiana and Colorado.