Running head: GRANT 1

An HVAC System for Inspiring Imaginations: A Grant

Bradley Howells

ED 262: Child Care Administration

Dr. K. Harris

May 2, 2019

Author Note

Bradley Howells, Division of Education, Seton Hill University. Correspondence concerning this

article should be addressed to Bradley Howells; Email: bhowells@setonhill.edu

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Abstract

The following is a proposed application to Lowe’s home improvement company for

review and consideration in its annual Community Partners Grant on behalf of Inspiring

Imaginations Child Care Center for the establishment of an HVAC System in its facility.

Located in an establishment in Scottdale, Pennsylvania built in the late 1980s, the program does

not house centralized air conditioning for children and staff, and the heat pump is in need of

replacement due to being an original unit. Through growing enrollment, hot summer months, and

chilling winter days, the facility’s fluctuating interior climate has begun to alter the performance

of its young learners, limiting their full educational potentials. Through acceptance of this grant,

Inspiring Imaginations will utilize their reward by purchasing an appropriately sized HVAC

system for the facility through Lowe’s and hiring their team for the installation of the unit.

Through careful product analysis, the following grant was written intending to request a total of

fifteen thousand dollars, including five thousand dollars for the system’s unit and equipment,

seven thousand dollars for the installation, installation supplies, duct work, fans, boxes, and

grilles, and three thousand dollars for labor costs. By submitting the grant on May 2, 2019,

Inspiring Imaginations intends to utilize the functioning new HVAC system by the beginning of

October 2019 if chosen as the award’s recipient.

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Inspiring Imaginations Child Care Center in Scottdale, Pennsylvania (Zip 15683) offers

a Maria Montessori curriculum to children aged six weeks to six years old for ten hours a day,

five days per week. Although recently established and open for business, the structure in which

Inspiring Imaginations operates from was built in the late 1980s. The heat pump that warms each

room of the one-story structure is original, and there was never any centralized air conditioning.

Over the years, the heat pump has weakened and been repaired several times, and due to the

commonality and dependency of centralized air conditioning in homes and organizations within

our society today, the children and faculty of Inspiring Imaginations have begun to overheat, tire

more easily, and experience asthma and allergy-related symptoms while indoors during the

brutally hot summer days. For these reasons, Inspiring Imaginations would greatly benefit from

the establishment of an HVAC system, and it kindly requests Lowe’s home improvement

company to consider their request for fifteen thousand dollars through their annual Community

Partners Grant.

Indoor air quality impacts education in various ways. Through poorly ventilated rooms,

physical property damage may ultimately occur, and the health and well-being of occupants will

begin to suffer. Without proper ventilation in a structure, dampness may begin to form. This

dampness may result in mold, and if mold forms, destruction and deterioration of the physical

structure will begin, and maintenance costs will begin to rise. With the onset of mold, asthma

and allergy-related symptoms will negatively impact the respiration health of the facility’s

occupants (Wargocki and Wyon, 2007). Although no mold has been discovered in Inspiring

Imaginations, the indoor environment has a damp feel to it at times after heavy rains. During

these times, there have been a few instances of asthma attack-related symptoms in the preschool-

aged children. With an HVAC system, the central dehumidifier would eliminate the humidity
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and dampness within the building while filtering the air to reduce pollutants as it is cycled

through the facility.

When temperatures are too cold in the winter months and too hot in the summer months,

children’s attention becomes impaired. In these situations, children are less likely to be attentive

and concentrate on instructions or tasks in which they are engaged. Also, negative effects in

children are higher on the requirement of more complex skills, such as spatial working memory

and verbal ability to recognize words and non-words when there is poor ventilation in a learning

environment (Bakó-Biró et al, 2012). In addition to the working ability, the behavior and

appearance of children is also impacted when they learn and spend time in an environment where

the air quality is not controlled. When air supply is increased and the temperature is lower rather

than too warm, studies show that children are more likely to communicate with others, play,

increase their mathematical speed, and perform with better success on exams (“How Does Indoor

Air Quality Impact Student Health and Academic Performance?”, 2016).

With an HVAC system at Inspiring Imaginations, student performance and success

would increase. Through our Montessori curriculum, student interest and need is top priority.

Art, music, English Language Arts, Math, and Science activities are created around how children

will interact with and benefit from each, therefore it is crucial that students are engaged in the

topic at hand in order for them to learn and develop personal meaning. Comfort and environment

have just as much influence on acquisition and learning compared to standards and curriculum,

therefore it is crucial that children are comfortable as they learn. If they are not comfortable, they

will not learn as much as they naturally could. When rooms are warmer in the winter and cooler

in the summer, students will not complain of chills or perspiration, and they will be more prone

to easier breathing, engaging in creative and pretend play, and developing higher rates of
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personal meaning through the hands-on activities they are exposed to on a daily basis.

Depending on Pennsylvania’s changing weather, an HVAC system that we would receive would

be utilized for heat when the indoor temperature drops below seventy degrees Fahrenheit,

presumably between October through April, and it would be utilized for air conditioning when

the indoor temperature rises above seventy degrees Fahrenheit, presumably between May and

September. An HVAC system would be heavily utilized for the benefits and wellbeing of the

children and their education at Inspiring Imaginations.

Outlined below, there is a proposed budget for an HVAC system at our facility, and if

considered and ultimately awarded the grant, there is also a proposed timeline referring to dates

in which Inspiring Imaginations would put their hopeful ideas into action and use.

Budget:

ITEM COST

System Equipment $5,000

Duct Work, Fans/Boxes/Grilles, & Supplies $7,000

Labor and Installation $3,000

Proposed Timeline/Schedule of the Grant Application Process:

Activity Date

Submit Grant May 2, 2019

Grant Review May 13-July 26, 2019

Accept Grant August 2, 2019

Sign Paperwork August 5, 2019

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Receive Grant August 16, 2019

Order HVAC Unit and Equipment August 16, 2019

Arrival of all Ordered Equipment at Lowe’s September 3, 2019

Scheduling of Installation Date September 3, 2019

Start of On-Site Installation September 23, 2019

Installation September 23-27, 2019

Completion of Installation September 27, 2019

Activation and Utilization of System September 30, 2019

As a growing facility, Inspiring Imaginations would greatly benefit from an HVAC system.

By having one, children and staff would be kept warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Many benefits would occur by having one, especially for health, learning, and conservation at

the facility. Air quality would become healthier in the aging building since the dehumidifier and

purifier would eliminate humidity, dampness, dust, and allergens. With these issues under

control, excess physical upgrades to the facility would be reduced, and tuition would not have to

increase as a result. Children would be able to breathe better, have reduced allergy symptoms,

and reduced asthma symptoms. In a more comfortable setting, children would engage in play

more frequently, communicate with others, perform activities with more success, and feel

confident in their abilities. If Inspiring Imaginations would be granted this opportunity, the

system would be put to good and frequent use beginning as soon as it could possibly be installed.

With the help of Lowe’s, the facility would proudly purchase an HVAC system through their
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company, and they would be the company to install their product. The facility and community

would greatly appreciate this magnificent opportunity.

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Reference

Bakó-Biró Z, Clements-Croome D J, Kochhar N, Awbi H B, Williams M J (2012) Ventilation

rates in schools and pupils’ performance. Building and Environment 48: 215–223.

How Does Indoor Air Quality Impact Student Health and Academic Performance? (2016,

August 30). Retrieved April 30, 2019, from https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/how-does-

indoor-air-quality-impact-student-health-and-academic-performance

Wargocki P and Wyon D (2007) The effects of moderately raised classroom temperatures and

classroom ventilation rate on the performance of schoolwork by children. HVAC&R

Res 13(2): 193–220.