Child care company wants to enter crowded field in Vernon Hills

A Tennessee-based company is proposing a child care center at the former PNC Bank site in Vernon Hills, but some village officials wonder if there is a need for another facility in the crowded field.

The Gardner School, which has three locations in Chicago and five in the suburbs, is proposing a new building at Route 60 and Deerpath Drive to include 14 classrooms serving a maximum of 206 infants, toddlers and pre-K students.

As planned, the building would be 16,091 square feet and include an outdoor play area on the east side.

Because the site is in an office/research district, a day care facility requires a special use permit. Company officials recently presented the idea to the village board, which informally agreed the idea can proceed through the review process to include a public hearing before the planning and zoning commission before a final vote.

Trustee Jim Schultz said several child care facilities, some of which are expanding, now operate in the village.

"I know this town is in transition" to younger families, he said. "I'm seeing a plethora of day care (facilities) and I'm wondering if it's a viable entity in the market."

Tammy Robinson, chief operating officer of the company based in Franklin, Tennessee, south of Nashville, said there is a need in Vernon Hills.

"There are about 3,000 child care spaces out there," she said. "There is plenty of room, plenty of children for everyone to coexist."

In the suburbs, Gardner has centers in Oak Brook Terrace, Naperville, Northbrook, Schaumburg and Lincolnshire.

Robinson said the proposed building is larger than some other facilities because "we have a lot of flexibility" in its offerings, including an all-season covered play area, a computer lab and other features. Annual tuition ranges from $15,000 to $20,000 based on the age of the child.

The property is about two acres. The PNC building was demolished about a year ago.

"We wouldn't invest in that sort of project unless we thought it was viable," Robinson told the board.

Trustees gave the OK for the plan to proceed to staff review. Schultz asked that operators and stakeholders of other child care facilities in the village be notified and invited to the planning and zoning public hearing when the date is determined.