UF students present designs for new child development and research center

April 21, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Interior design students at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning will present their completed designs for Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center to the center’s board from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday in Norman Hall main corridor and Room 158 on the UF campus. The meeting is open to the public and comments from parents, faculty and staff are encouraged.

The interior design students have been meeting with faculty and staff from Baby Gator and the College of Education over the past few months to develop a potential design for a new facility. The current center is 8,000 square feet, and houses 131 children between the ages of 6 weeks and five years of age. The planned center will house 250 students, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years of age, with an area of approximately 36,000 square feet.

Debra Harris, interior design assistant professor, is credited with initially setting up the link between the department of interior design and Baby Gator. She was made aware of the interest for the new site when she was attempting to register her own child at Baby Gator. Pamela Pallas, Baby Gator director, began explaining to Harris the need for more space and
how they would soon be expanding to accommodate more children in the future. Harris immediately thought this could be a project for interior design students to tackle.

“I think this is a great teaching tool,” Harris said. “Students get the opportunity to take part in an actual hands-on project while contributing to the quality of the university community.”

Students hope to fulfill the needs of the center, such as more research space, a new kitchen, an indoor play area, more observation rooms and a butterfly and vegetable garden. The center has a chef who prepares breakfast, lunch and snacks and focuses on providing a variety of dishes reflected in the cultural diversity of the children at the center. The new facility will have a kitchen and dining space with a kitchen presentation area where the chef will educate the children on the types of foods they eat and emphasize healthy eating.

“One of Baby Gator’s goals is to promote more research and closer collaboration with the College of Education and other colleges at UF,” Pallas said. “What better way to present the quality of students and training here at UF then through the use of student ideas and plans on our campus.”