Located in the hearth of Middlebury, VT, adjacent to the bucolic campus of Middlebury College, is the Otter Creek Child Care Center, a facility that serves the pre-school child-care needs for Campus parents and the communities beyond. The Center is located in a historic farm house, in Middlebury's historic District,  and was expanded to accommodate over twice the number of students it had previously served with the addition of a large barn at the rear of the building. The landscape design supports the creek-side location, the new circulation around the site, and of course, the outdoor playground spaces. Separated by age and developmental goals, several different play areas surround the center and incorporate as much of the natural landscape features as possible. Tying the spaces together is a blue ribbon, the "creek", that children will remember as they move up through the classrooms, building their balance, motor skills and social skills as they go. 

 

​​

 

CREDITS

​

CLIENT:                    Middlebury College

ARCHITECT:            DW Arthur

CONTRACTOR:       Naylor and Breen

COMPLETE:             2026