By Shea Davidson
Lexington, KY – UK Health Care and Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass, which specializes in pre-school education for children with and without special needs, will build the new center near the UK Arboretum.
UK vice president for health affairs Michael Karpf, says the project addresses a growing demand for UK faculty, staff and students.
"Well if we take a look at our supporting faculty and staff then there is a major shortage in day care so we needed to address that and by doing this we were able to address than and we were able to partner and it made it easier for us to make plans to develop a building, and we have real academic interest here too. We think we can make it even better."
CDCB Board Director Stephen Loy says the arrangement is in keeping with his group's mission.
"Obviously the children who have special needs need to be prepared to enter school, public school or private school, enter into the world and deal with children or other people without disabilities. By the same token children without disabilities learn lessons that are very difficult to teach with words acceptance of people who are different and have different needs and talents than they have."
Karpf, says a recent tour of the facility on Spring Hill Drive convinced him that the merger would be a good idea.
"I think doing daycare in this way where you have special needs and typical kids together I really saw the benefit of this when I was touring around. It really helps both sets of kids mature so I thought this was an ideal way of structuring it."
The new facility, which is expected to be open by August of 2012, will hold about 166 children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. It will be located adjacent to the UK arboretum.