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What is Bacon Street?

  • Bacon Street is Windy Hill Play’s permanent campus — a multi-building childcare village designed to serve Durham families through flexible, play-based, community-rooted care.

    It is the next step in our evolution from proof-of-concept to long-term infrastructure.

    The campus is intentionally designed to support children, caregivers, and families within a built environment that reflects our values: connection over convenience, relationship over transaction, and care as a shared responsibility.

  • Because care requires infrastructure.

    Windy Hill Play began by testing whether childcare could be structured differently, more adaptive, more relational, more responsive to family rhythms. That model works.

    Bacon Street allows us to move from operating within borrowed space to building something designed specifically for how we care.

    This campus ensures that care is grounded in something durable.

  • Bacon Street is a phased, multi-building development.

    It includes:

    • Standalone childcare buildings designed at a residential scale

    • Classrooms that prioritize flexibility and natural light

    • Dedicated toddler environments

    • A central reception and administrative building

    • Outdoor learning areas designed for movement, exploration, and nature-based play

    • Integrated drop-off circulation designed to support safe transitions

    The campus layout allows indoor and outdoor spaces to function as a continuous learning environment, rather than separate zones.

  • Bacon Street is located within an established residential area. The site has been reviewed through engineering and traffic study to ensure that it integrates safely and responsibly into the surrounding neighborhood.

    The development approach prioritizes:

    • Residential-scale architecture

    • Clear pedestrian pathways

    • Safe drop-off flow

    • Compatibility with nearby homes and institutions

    • Positive impact to the community and properties.

    The goal is for our community and the campus to be a feature the neighbors are a part of and are proud of.

  • The physical design of the campus supports Windy Hill Play’s play-based philosophy.

    Classrooms are designed to:

    • Be flexible rather than rigid

    • Allow for open-ended movement and imagination

    • Provide natural light at child eye level

    • Offer direct access to outdoor learning spaces

    • Maintain clear sight lines for supervision

    Outdoor areas are intentionally integrated into the learning experience, not treated as recess alone. Nature, sensory play, gross motor movement, and community gathering are central design elements.

  • Bacon Street is being built in phases to align growth with stability.

    This approach allows us to:

    • Expand intentionally

    • Build meaningful relationships

    • Maintain program quality

    • Strengthen operational systems before scaling

    • Build real assets that support long-term resilience

    Financially and structurally, the campus transitions Windy Hill Play from a temporary model into permanent care infrastructure.

Care is a public good, and it deserves to be built that way.

A video from founder and CEO, Mariah King, introducing the future childcare campus at Bacon Street.

Fund a block in our foundation by making a gift. Each contribution helps raise the walls of a future filled with play and community.

Before you give: does your company offer a matching program? If so, Windy Hill Play qualifies as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Donate through your organization’s giving portal and multiply your impact!

3% Cover the Fee

Monthly and weekly recurring donations will continue automatically until you choose to modify or cancel them. You can update or stop your recurring gift at any time through your account or by contacting us directly.

A video from our founders and directors, Mariah and Princess

Shape a block.

Our campaign isn’t just about building walls, it’s about shaping a space that reflects the creativity, care, and sustainability our community deserves. If you have expertise in green building, design, construction, or resource planning, your skills can help us create a foundation that lasts. By sharing your knowledge, you’re not just shaping a block, you’re shaping the way future generations will play, learn, and grow together.