Commissioners Approve Lower Mac Day Care Center

Lower Macungie Commissioners unanimously approved the conditional use of Lower Macungie Elementary School as a day care center at its Oct. 6 meeting.

The township Planning Commission gave its go ahead on Sept. 13.

Lynn Glancy, director of operations for East Penn School District gave some of the former schools background at the conditional use hearing,

The school site is currently being used by the district as storage. It was last used as a kindergarten center in 2009. At that time, five classrooms were used for the 347 students attending the morning and afternoon sessions, she said.

The school is on 7.7 acres of property and has two levels — a first floor with 12 classrooms and a basement with a kitchen and all-purpose room.  Only four of the classrooms and the all-purpose room will be leased to , along with the play area outside, Glancy said. 

He told the commissioners the driveway at Krocks Road is chained so no traffic  -- other than emergency vehicles -- can enter the site.

William Erdman, township engineer, said the driveway cannot be re-opened for use, other than an emergency, due to regulations from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Glancy said the play area is fenced-in on three sides — the back and both sides—but the front macadam portion is open.  There is also some play equipment and a ball field on the grassy area.

“East Penn School District supports the use of the building as a day care center,” Glancy said.  “It is a great benefit for working parents who need daycare.”

Carol Rabe, CEO of Cambridge Day School, said they currently have a day care facility on Lower Macungie Road which provides programs for children from infants through age 12.  However, that site has 35 children enrolled in the before- and after-school program, and now has a waiting list.

A larger site is needed for the school-age children.

The Lower Macungie Elementary School site would take students enrolled in the East Penn School District from kindergarten to age 12 and bus them to and from their appropriate schools, Rabe said.

The site will be open from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and offer programs before and after school. There will be an extended program for Kindergarten students, she said.

The maximum number of students at the site could be as high as 96, when schools have early dismissals or no school. Teacher-student ratio will be 1 teacher to 12 students, she said.

As far as the playground area, Rabe said prior to any children leaving the building, cones will be placed in the macadam area to prevent traffic from entering. Only two groups of children will be outside at any given time.  Each teacher will be assigned students to supervise and will not be permitted to converse with each other while supervising them. The cones will then be retrieved when the last student enters the school.

Commissioner Douglas Brown questioned Rabe about whether the lighting and security is sufficient during the early morning and evening hours.  He was concerned for the safety of the students, parents and staff.

Jim Garrity, attorney representing Cambridge Day School, said the lighting will be evaluated.

Glancy said the school district will take care of any problems noted, if additional lighting is required.

Rabe assured Brown, as well as the other commissioners, that all doors to the facility will be locked at all times.  Employees and parents will be given their own unique code to enter the building, she said. The entry doors will have security cameras, and internal cameras will be installed if deemed necessary.

The commissioners approved the day care center and will expedite the documents in order to open the facility as soon, possibly in the next 30 days.