DES brings first net-zero childcare center to Capitol Campus

For inquiries:
Linda Kent | 360-972-6413 | linda.kent@des.wa.gov
Exterior photo of Capitol Campus Childcare Center
The Capitol Childcare Center, designed to maximize sustainability and reduce operating costs, opened Jan. 30. DES managed the construction of the building and managed the competitive solicitation for the operator, KinderCare. State employees and their families have priority for enrolling children ages 6 months to 5 years.  
Two toddlers play at a table inside the Capitol Campus Childcare Center
Two toddlers play at a table inside the childcare center

The center’s design focuses on conserving resources, ensuring air and water quality and reducing waste. Additionally, the project added 37 deciduous and flowering trees to the Capitol Campus.  

The roof is made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (GLT) manufactured in the Northwest. Both products are engineered using trees that in the past have not been economical to harvest, including small Douglas fir, Western hemlock, trees that have diameters as small as 4 inches -- even dead trees. Wood also stores and sequesters carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere, and is a renewable natural resource. 

The roof features 198 solar panels, each producing 440 watts of energy to power the building.  

The Legislature funded a $10 million project in 2019 to build a second childcare center in Olympia to serve state employees and their families. The single-story, 9,600 square-foot building is the southern gateway to the Capitol Campus.  

The new childcare center doesn't replace the Capitol Campus Child Care Center on Perry Street (5 Cs) which is a separate facility and provider. 

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