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Edgerley Family Horizons Center

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  • Edgerley Center Playground
    Edgerley Center Playground
  • Edgerley Center Staff Room
    Edgerley Center Staff Room
  • Edgerley Center
    Edgerley Center
  • 2021_Horizons_090
    2021_Horizons_090
  • Edgerley Center Playground
    Edgerley Center Playground

Project details

Edgerley Family Horizons Center

Roxbury, MA

Horizons for Homeless Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families, recently selected Kaplan Construction for the construction of a new 55,000 SF early childhood center and headquarters at 1785 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, Mass. The new facility consolidates three existing centers into one, allowing Horizons to serve 30% more children in a space better suited to high-quality early childhood education and programming for families working to establish stability. The facility serves 225 children ranging in age from two months to five years and began welcoming families in April 2021.

  • Kaplan and studioMLA Architects have worked together on numerous early education centers and brought their expertise and know-how together to deliver an exceptional space that will allow Horizons to fulfill its mission for children, families and our community. They understand the complexities of building in Boston and were our trusted advisors from start to finish. We could not have realized this vision without their guidance and dedication to quality design and construction.
    Kate BarrandPresident and CEOHorizons for Homeless Children

 

The children’s center features two floors of indoor and outdoor space incorporating trauma-informed design strategies. The space includes a large STEAM activity space, a children’s library and literacy center, and a gross motor recreation room. Twenty-two new classrooms ranging from infant to preschool allow Horizons to increase their capacity from 175 to 225 children. Light-filled shared and private office space, family engagement rooms, meeting rooms, and flexible community space occupy the administrative areas. Sixteen of the 22 classrooms enjoy dedicated outdoor access to the infant and preschool playgrounds, allowing for ease of transition. Designed with the help of an occupational therapist, the two outdoor play areas totaling 10,000 SF were constructed on dedicated above-ground surfaces on the second floor.

Photo credit: Rosemary Fletcher

Client

Horizons for Homeless Children

Architect

studioMLA Architects

Services Provided

  • Preconstruction Planning
  • Construction Management