Doubling the Space to Double the Impact at ChildServe’s Ames Campus

In September 2023, Story Construction completed an expansion for ChildServe at its facility in Ames, doubling the footprint of the building that ChildServe opened in 2000. With a waitlist of more than 200 children, ChildServe will be able to double the number of children served at the facility in the coming years as more clinicians are hired.

“The need for our services and expertise continues to grow in Ames,” said Kate Reynolds, Director of ChildServe in Ames. “We wanted to create the necessary space to address the needs of our community. Many donors and community partners helped make this project possible.”

ChildServe partners with families to help children with special healthcare needs live a great life. Prior to this expansion, the organization served nearly 1,000 children in a variety of services in multiple locations.

“Now we can better coordinate care by having all programs under one roof, and services with a wait list can focus on growing its team to serve more children,” added Reynolds.

The facility, which supports children with a wide range of disabilities and developmental delays, is warm and welcoming with the entirety of the building at ground level to allow ease of access across the whole facility. Multiple entrances with secure checkpoints are along the central corridor to ensure safety and reduce total travel for staff and patients. The layout keeps clinical areas subdivided by each therapy type, while providing easy access to equipment between rooms and offering use of larger treatment rooms regardless of the type of therapy treatment. Rooms are modular in size for maximum flexibility if demand for therapy types changes.

“Keeping the building on a single plane when nearly doubling the size of the building was a challenge,” said Aaron Fulton with RDG Planning & Design. “There were multiple entrances to account for and site water runoff to consider when developing both the building and the site. Ultimately we were able to design the building such that we maximized the amount of square footage on the site as possible while keeping it all on the same plane.”

With Story’s Construction Production 2.0 planning trailer on site, the ChildServe team took advantage of the opportunity to learn how the construction team plans its work through lean construction practices.

“It was fascinating to learn Story’s approach to project management – a skill that many leaders at ChildServe in Ames have adopted for their teams and projects,” said Reynolds. “This helped us keep our families and team members informed and up-to-date as the project progressed. I’m grateful for their partnership and overjoyed by the results. Together, our efforts mean that more children with special healthcare needs can access life changing programs at ChildServe.”