Ribbon Cutting at the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Children’s Academy
September 23, 2013
Downtown Buffalo has been booming with exciting new builds and construction projects to restore business and vibrancy back to the city. From the Harborcenter and Canalside, to new lofts and restaurants, and even restoring traffic down Main Street, life is starting to re-appear.
Downtown Buffalo has been booming with exciting new builds and construction projects to restore business and vibrancy back to the city. From the Harborcenter and Canalside, to new lofts and restaurants, and even restoring traffic down Main Street, life is starting to re-appear.
There are also projects with programs aimed at developing and cultivating its surrounding city communities as well as properties, which holds even more potential for generations to come. Buffalo Promise Neighborhood is one such program and on Friday, September 13, 2013, they had the official ribbon cutting ceremony for their newly developed 12,300 SF Children’s Academy.
Serving as the cornerstone of Buffalo Promise Neighborhood’s ambitious goals, the center is the first step on the path to educational success and will provide an inviting and nurturing learning environment for 150 neighborhood children from infancy to age five, as well as coordinate services that focus on the education and needs of parents. The purpose of Buffalo Promise Neighborhood is to provide a continuum of solutions to children and families from cradle through college and career through neighborhood resources, streamlining family services, and improving educational supports. A combination of grants and funding has raised over $32 million to invest in the children of the neighborhood.
The center’s design connects children with the community of Buffalo Promise neighborhood. Large, playful colored windows on the street connect children with the city, while classrooms have direct views and openings to the play yard, connecting the children to nature. Watts provided full architecture and engineering services for the project. SLR Contracting & Service Company, Inc. was the general contractor.
Supported by M&T Bank, the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the HealthNow Healthy Living Fund also helped fund the project.
Other partner organizations are the Annie E. Casey Foundation, AmeriCorps, Belmont Housing Resources for Western New York, Bethel Head Start, Buffalo Urban League, Catholic Charities of Buffalo, Closing the Gap, College Success Center, College Summit, Community Health Center of Buffalo, Council for Unity, Every Person Influences Children, Erie Community College, Erie County, Hillside Work Scholarship Connection, Johns Hopkins University: Talent Development, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Read to Succeed, Say Yes to Education, U.S. departments of Education and Justice, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and Westminster Foundation.
