THE ARC OF LIVINGSTON-WYOMING BREAKS GROUND ON NEW KIDSTART BUILDING

Thursday, May 27th, 2010 marked a "new start for KidStart," as children and adults broke ground on a school for hundreds of area kids, many with special needs. 

KidStart, the children's services division of The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming, is moving from its current location on the SUNY Geneseo campus into a new 33,220 square foot facility.  The building will be located on a 7.83 acre parcel of land on Route 63 in Groveland, 4 miles south of Geneseo.  The move will provide uninterrupted service to area families who rely on KidStart for Special Services, Education, Therapy, Head Start, and affordable Day Care.

The project was prompted by planned construction by the college that will make KidStart's present home unavailable beginning in July of 2011.

The move will allow uninterrupted learning for approximately 250 young children annually, almost half of whom are treated for serious intellectual and other developmental disabilities, at a quality early childhood center where the inclusive curriculum is designed to meet each child’s individual needs. If the project were not done, services for these children and 100 jobs would be at stake, and Livingston County would either have to find an outside provider to provide the services in the county or bus children to outside counties.

The new building will include 14 classrooms, 16 therapy rooms, a 1,960 square foot evaluation center, a kitchen to serve 255 children, a multipurpose room for training and large motor activities, and administrative space for office and administrative staff members.

The facility will be built specifically for services to children with an age range of birth to 5 years that accommodates individual needs. Specific accommodations include:
• Adaptive bathrooms
• Infrastructure to support swings
• Large spaces for therapeutic equipment
• FM loop
• Individual therapy rooms
• Sound-proof room for hearing screens
• Dark room for vision screens and therapy for visually impaired
• Low volume alarm systems
• Medical/health services area for registered nurse
• Meal services

The estimated total cost for the project is $4,250,000, and The Arc will embark on a capital campaign to help fund the building. The first day for kids at their new school will be July 11, 2011.

KidStart has been part of the community since 1978, and presently serves children from 15 school districts and 6 counties.  Dozens more children with mild to severe developmental delays also receive services, as do families in need of quality child care, and low-income families participating in the Livingston County Head Start program that is provided by KidStart.