Old schoolhouse becomes place of
learning again
By WILFORD S. SHAMLIN
Courier-Post Staff
An Atlantic County man ignored the
skeptics and moved forward with his ambitious plan to renovate
the old, boarded-up Westville Grove School into a
state-of-the-art preschool just east of Route 47, near bordering
Westville.
The Early Learning Academy, which
Brian Condella designed with his
3-year-old daughter Bria in mind, opened in September.
Condella already has received kudos
from school officials for transforming an aging school building
that was deemed too costly for the district to renovate.
"It was good for him and it was
good for us," said Kenneth Kling, school board business
administrator. "I think we both made out on the deal."
"He put some major money into it, I
can tell you that. You can see that. He didn't spare any expense
on it. He did a real nice job with it," Kling said.
During a recent tour, Condella
confessed: "There's nothing in here that we didn't go to the max
on."
"I had people saying I couldn't do
this and some people who saw the light and saw that we could. It
was a Herculean effort, that's for sure," Condella said.
The two-story brick building at 20
Cobblestone Road was being used by the district's child-study
team, which works with special education students, when it was
shut down. The school district sold the school and used the
money to renovate the ground-level floor of the central
administration building for the child-study team, which had 12
full-time employees at the time.
Meanwhile, Westville Grove School
had became a hangout for teens after dark and was vandalized
before being purchased by BC Rental Properties LLC of Linwood,
which Condella owns.
After purchasing the building from
the Deptford Board of Education for $205,000 in 2006, Condella
had originally intended to convert the old school into a medical
offices building and rent space to physical therapists and
medical professionals.
But after walking the property,
Condella believed that a preschool was a more suitable use.
The school is licensed to
accommodate 162 students from six weeks old to 5 years old.
Condella describes the staff, led by director Margaret Culbreath
Carasquillo, who has more than 20 years of day-care management
experience, as highly experienced and certified. "I have
teachers here who have director's credentials," Condella said.
Some innovative ideas that were
incorporated into the design include:
CrispAir fluorescent light bulbs
that remove dust, bacteria and other pollutants in the air. "It
keeps kids from getting allergies," Condella said. "Anything
that's going to keep kids healthy is always a plus."
Tinted shades that block most
ultraviolet rays filtering through the window.
Touch-screen computer at front
entrance allows parent to punch in their child's identification
code for daily reports. They can find out when tuition is due,
review remarks about their child's behavior and attendance
record. It can also be used for payroll and in emergencies,
sending data to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) about who's
in the building, who should be in the building and who
shouldn't.
Separate play areas for younger and
older children; all on artificial turf with padding beneath to
cushion falls and extra padding in the "fall zone" around the
jungle gym. It's free of lead, natural grass, allergens or dirt.
"It passed all state criteria. It could pour rain out here and
five minutes later, kids can be out here running around,"
Condella said.
Entire facility has been declared
"peanut-free zone" due to children's allergic reactions.
Bring-your-own-lunch arrangement.
Parents feed their children what they want them to eat.
Two-inch layer of foam acts as
insulation from outside elements, blocking moisture and mold.
Computer pods allow parents to
check what tasks their child completed during the day and allows
them to provide input and interact with the child.
Fire suppression system installed
but not required.
Security cameras around exterior of
property, at front entrance and in classrooms.
Reach Wilford S. Shamlin at (856)
486-2475 or
wshamlin@courierpostonline.com
MORE INFORMATION
The Early Learning Academy is at 20
Cobblestone Road, Deptford. Call (856) 853-8822 or visit
www.theearlylearningacademy.com
.
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