Publication: St. Louis Business Journal, April 13, 2017

A Phoenix-based child care provider will take learning to the next step when it opens its first Missouri location in west St. Louis County this summer.

A math and science lab, TV studio, bowling alley, ballet, professional-grade cooking classroom and more will be offered to children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old at Children’s Learning Adventure in Ellisville. The organization provides day care and after-school and summer camp programs.

“Children’s Learning Adventure offers an entirely different approach to early childhood education. Our goal was to create a curriculum and facility that were educationally enriching, mentally stimulating and just plain fun for children,” Daniel Petersen, vice president of development, said. “The learning environment is unique – something folks in the St. Louis area have never seen nor experienced for their children.”

Children’s Learning Adventure is located at 15677 Manchester Road and has a 33,000-square-foot campus and 35,000-square-foot outdoor space.

ECE I LLC owns the property, which was appraised for $7.2 million, St. Louis County records show. CLA invested about $3.5 million, according to its application filed with the city of Ellisville. Sunset Hills-based Casco Diversified Corp., one of the largest architecture firms in the region with 2015 revenue of $14 million, serves as the company’s national architect. Top privately held company Poettker Construction of Breese, Illinois, which reported nearly $121 million in revenue last year, served as general contractor.

“When we go to new markets, we study the cities and surrounding areas closely to locate within family-oriented communities in which education is paramount in the lives of parents, and then choose locations that are convenient for parents from a wide radius,” Petersen said.

About 100 employees will be hired, and the organization is licensed by the state of Missouri to accommodate 500 children, he said. Children’s Learning Adventure will host a grand opening celebration from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29 where parents can learn more about the programs and begin enrollment. Classes officially start May 30. Rates are still being determined, the company said.

“Inevitably, we get a rush of parents who are excited about enrolling their kids, often more than we expect, and often, age groups will fill up at the grand opening,” Petersen said.

Children’s Learning Adventure first opened in 2008 and has 42 locations in 11 states.