Marshfield School District // Early Learning Center

The Paragon team worked with the Marshfield School District in years past to complete a comprehensive Masterplan for the district. One weakness the District identified was their lack of early childhood classrooms, and Hubble Elementary, where the early childhood education program was formerly housed, was at capacity.

The design and construction team worked together to develop a facility to specifically address these current needs, as well as provide accommodations for future expansion. The Marshfield Early Learning Center (ELC) consists of 12 preschool classrooms, with four classrooms being dedicated to Speech and Special Education. The facility includes a media center, testing areas, PT/OT classroom, administrative offices and support areas, PAT offices and support, and an ICC-500 rated multipurpose space that has a full-service kitchen. The ICC-500 multipurpose area provides a tornado shelter for all staff and students at the ELC, as well as the staff and students from neighboring Hubble Elementary. This gave the District’s Early Childhood Program an opportunity for increased enrollment, while also alleviating some stress on Hubble Elementary by providing each facility with adequate space for their students.

Knowing the facility could potentially be open to the public for after-hours activities, the design team organized the building in a way that the classroom wing can be separated from the communal or higher activity spaces. The interior of the facility is composed of a soft, warm palette of colors with interactive components integrated within the corridors. The corridors are lined within sensory wall panels, hill features, and different textures for students to interact with. The classrooms are color-coded for ease of way finding for the staff and students. This would serve as students first interaction with a typical education environment, so the design team wanted to create a space where students felt comfortable and the transition from home to school would be smooth. The exterior design of the Marshfield Early Learning Center was developed to complement the adjacent schools on campus with the use of a neutral color palette while also strategically introducing the school pride colors.