By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton University wants to construct a new campus building to house nursery and pre-school programs for the children of university faculty, staff and graduate students.
The school last month filed a concept plan with the town for a 17,500-square-foot building on Broadmead, a private, university owned street, that would accommodate a "target" occupancy of 180 children as young as infants to pre-schoolers.
The childcare building was contained in the university’s 2008 campus plan, but its construction was delayed due to the financial crisis, according to Kristin S. Appelget university director of community and regional affairs.
Municipal staff and planning board members will review and comment on the proposal, likely in January. The university will take the comments it receives, refine the proposal where and if necessary and then apply to the Planning Board.
"At this time we expect that the approval and construction process will result in the new building opening for the fall 2017 school term," said Ms. Appelget.
The proposed building would replace the current one on Broadmead where the University-NOW Day Nursery and the University League Nursery School are located. Ms. Appelget said the university has not decided what to do with the building once the childcare programs relocate.
Staff from the university office of information technology use part of that building, and they will remain there, she said.
Both childcare programs are tuition-based and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, according to the university. Children of school staff and students get "priority" for admission, but spaces are available to the public if there are any left over.
The University-Now Day Nursery, referred internally as "U-Now," is a "full-day program for children ages 12 weeks until kindergarten," according to a description on the university website. They will be operating the new building, while the University League Nursery School is moving off campus.
At the moment, they combined serve 195 children.
As part of the construction project, the school also has proposed taking a university owned road that runs on the property between Broadmead and FitzRandolph Road and redefining it as a 47-space pick-up and drop-off lot. Staff at the daycare center would "most likely" park in the school’s lot 21, according to documents the school filed with the town.
