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by Courtney Iseman
October 28, 2009
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Michael Shilale Architects, LLP (MSA) is pleased to
announce the completion of the Unified Vailsburg
Services Organization’s (UVSO) Ivy Hill Pre-School in
Newark, New Jersey. The fourteen classroom school
was open in time for over two hundred excited three
and four year olds to begin their school year.
Mike Farley, the Executive Director of UVSO, says,
"We have had a wonderful response from our parents,
teachers, elected officials and most importantly our
kids. MSA designed and helped us build a
beautiful building that supports our child care and
educational goals."
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This pre-school was part of a movement forged by the
UVSO to provide a center for three to four year old
children, as there were previously no centers of
this kind in the Vailsburg neighborhood – which left
a great need considering the fact that this area has
the largest pre-school aged population in the
region. Extra motivation came from the New Jersey
court decision in the Abbott case, which stated that
pre-school aged children from lower income families
were at a disadvantage in the education system
without proper childcare before elementary school.
Since this decision, Abbott programs have been set
in motion to get these children into childcare that
will prepare them for school. The UVSO began
progress with MSA on the Ivy Hill Pre-School to
offer these children the foundation they need for a
successful education
MSA was chosen for this important project thanks
largely in part to Michael Shilale, AIA, LEED’s
expertise in design for childcare centers. Mr.
Shilale attended the Institute of Child Care Design
at Harvard University, where he studied facilities
from throughout the world. This expertise meshed
with the mission and vision of UVSO to create a safe
and nurturing space for optimal education.
MSA worked closely with UVSO throughout the
development process to design a lasting structure
that will foster growth and learning in children,
through the important design quality of comfort.
Interiors were chosen to help children stay focused
when learning, and relaxed when participating in fun
activities. Every measure was taken to offer an
ideal environment for children to learn and have
fun.
The dedication ceremony for the pre-school was held
Thursday, September 24th, to honor the school’s
completion and the beginning of its first school
year. UVSO officials were proud to report that every
one of the school’s seats were full on the first day
of school, Wednesday, September 9th. The ceremony
celebrated the contribution that the school makes
and will continue to make to the community, which
was in need of an early education center like Ivy
Hill.
Michael Shilale Architects, LLP
(MSA), an eight person architectural engineering
firm founded in 1991, is committed to protecting and
preserving the environment through their design
work. We help our clients solve their building
problems, protect their assets and investments,
build under budget, and realize their vision. MSA
serves a municipal, commercial, residential and
educational client base, including Rockland, Orange,
Sullivan, Ulster and Nassau counties, in New York,
as well as Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex
Counties in New Jersey. For more information, please
call 845-708-9200, or visit their website at,
www.shilale.com |
