SEMO reopening child care building

More than 150 children will return to Southeast Missouri State University's child care center Monday, nearly six months after it was closed for repairs, renovations and potential mold removal.

"We feel very blessed to all be under one roof again," said Byron Henderson, director of the University School for Young Children, 2089 Bessie St. in Cape Girardeau.

Henderson and the school's staff spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday moving furniture, equipment and supplies back into the building, which closed earlier this year after moisture on walls and windows inside the building.

Air quality tests inside the building in early February indicated various levels of moisture throughout the building, suggesting the presence of mold, which can cause a variety of health issues such as eye, sinus, throat and skin irritation.

By late February, the university had relocated the school's infants and toddlers into a building on Lexington Avenue formerly occupied by A Child's Journey Learning Center while 2-year-olds, preschoolers and after-school programs for school-age children were moved to the university's International Village on North Sprigg Street.

"We were still able to provide high quality, exceptional child care and education," Henderson said. "But the biggest challenge was just overseeing two sites. We're a big family at USYC so it was a challenge to not all be together and making sure everybody felt supported and all part of one team."

Throughout the spring and much of the summer, the university worked with the building's owner, S&S Interiors, and subcontractors to repair leaks in the structure's roof and renovate the building's interior. A new HVAC system was installed by Langford Mechanical of Cape Girardeau.

"In addition to replacing the entire HVAC system, we replaced the flooring and painted everything," said Angela Meyer, the university's facilities management director. "We also worked closely with the landlord to remove drywall, and our in-house staff completed air monitoring tests as part of the building's remediation."

New furniture has been purchased for the facility and new plumbing fixtures have been installed in some of the school's restrooms, she said.

"It was a team effort between the landlord and the university," Meyer said. "Together, we have improved the facility to provide a safe place for our children to play and learn, and we're very excited for them to return to the space on Monday."

The University School for Young Children was established nearly a decade ago with the blending of Southeast's Center for Child Studies and its Child Enrichment Center into one program. It has an enrollment of 156 children, 28 full-time employees and serves as a training ground for dozens of early childhood education students at the university.

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