Posted July 25, 2011

The North Colonie Central School District has plans to lease the former Maplewood Elementary School Building to Achievements PLLC, an organization dedicated to helping children with special needs, pending Board approval.

The lease is for one year and if approved by the Board, will begin on September 1, 2011.

District officials invited Maplewood community members to consider the future use of the building at a series of Transition Meetings that took place last spring. During this process, Maplewood community members expressed their thoughts on the building, making clear that they hoped the building would continue to be used as an educational facility.

“The Maplewood Building is the heart of that community,” Superintendent D. Joseph Corr said. “It was important to the district that we made sure the future of that building represented what the Maplewood community valued most.”

Community members received the opportunity in June to meet with Achievements PLLC and other possible building suitors to listen to presentations and get a sense of what the organization would bring to the community.

“I think each presentation was well-received by the community,” Mr. Corr said. “I think it was clear that the intentions we had for the future use of the building were in line with their desires.”

Achievements’ mission is to help developmentally disabled children of all ages and their families meet the challenges that they face on a daily basis so that each child might meet their fullest potential. They provide services in the areas of Speech & Language Therapy, Special Education, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Play Therapy, Vision, and Orientation and Mobility services for children with Visual Impairments. To learn more about their organization, you can visit them online at http://www.achievements.org. 

A component of Achievements is Kids Express. Kids Express is comprised of full and half day preschool programs, meeting the newly released New York State preschool standards and prepare children for successful entry into kindergarten. Their focus is on helping children to reach their full potential in learning, to participate in group instruction models, and to feel confident as learners before entering kindergarten. You can learn more by visiting their website http://www.kidsexpress.org.