The City of Lebanon is developing a new early learning center that will serve 140 children ages 0-5 and 60 school-age children and will operate in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire. Located adjacent to publicly accessible conservation land, the facility is envisioned as both a high-quality childcare center and a public park amenity. The approximately 23,500 square-foot building incorporates a nature-based early learning educational model, emphasizing the integration of interior and exterior spaces through covered porches adjacent to all classrooms that connect to surrounding play areas and the nearby woodland. The project takes advantage of the site’s natural slope to minimize earthwork while maximizing engagement with the landscape.

The landscape design organizes age-appropriate play areas around the building while maintaining the site’s primary identity as a public park. The childcare center’s play spaces use natural materials for surfacing and play structures, and also offer opportunities for flexible, open-ended play using loose parts and plantings that reference the surrounding natural landscape. The toddler and preschool play spaces within the central courtyard incorporate the existing slope into the play environment. A public-facing play space for school-age children on the northeast side serves both the afterschool program and community access, complemented by a basketball half-court. Throughout the site, accessible circulation routes connect all play areas, the building, parking areas, and mown meadow pathways that link to existing conservation trails—creating a seamless integration between structured play environments and natural landscape exploration.