Construction on State Employee Child Care Center Starts June 22

New Child Care Center Will be Located on Capitol Campus

in Olympia

From the Department of Enterprise Services:
Construction begins the week of June 22 for a new Capitol Campus child care center that will serve state workers in Olympia. The Department of Enterprise Services is overseeing construction of the center which is located on the corner of Maple Park Avenue Southeast and Capitol Way South.

Construction activities for the week of June 22 include: Installing the building’s foundation. Removing five trees, one of which is in poor health. Removing another tree, a large sugar maple at the intersection, to make room for new curb ramps for pedestrian safety at the crosswalk.

Construction impacts

Construction is expected to be noisy at times and may intermittently impact vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Work will take place approximately between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The construction plan meets the safety guidelines under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start Washington direction. Sign up for updates on construction impacts here.

Get updates on child care center operations

DES is overseeing the process to hire an operator for the center. Steps include issuing a request for proposal, selecting an apparent successful bidder, and then signing a contract. Sign up to receive updates on the hiring of an operator for the new child care center. You will be notified when a waiting list for child admissions has been established.

More information about the child care center

The future single-story, 9,600 square-foot building will become the southern gateway to the Capitol Campus. The Legislature funded the $10 million project in 2019.
The center will be built with an eco-friendly design that focuses on conserving resources, ensuring air and water quality and reducing waste. Ultimately, this project will add 37 new trees to Capitol Campus. The mix of deciduous and flowering species are in addition to the 100 new trees being planted on campus in association with a National Association of State Foresters Centennial Challenge.
The new child care center does not replace the existing care center on Perry Street (5 Cs), which will continue its operations at that location.

More information

For more information, visit the DES Capitol Campus Child Care Center Project page or email childcarecenter@des.wa.gov.