Kaplan Construction Will Build Out Horizons for Homeless Children HQ

Kaplan Construction has been selected to build a 40,000 SF childcare center and headquarters for Horizons for Homeless Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children and their families. Construction is expected to start later this spring and be completed in early 2021.

The new early childhood center will consolidate three existing childcare centers into one. Serving 225 children ranging in age from two months to five years, it will include a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activity space, a family library and literacy center, flexible community and training space, and an art room. Indoor and outdoor spaces will incorporate trauma-informed design strategies to better serve children and families living in difficult situations. Two outdoor play areas totaling 10,000 SF were designed with the help of an occupational therapist and will be constructed on dedicated above-ground surfaces. Kaplan will only be able to access the roof from street level and will take on the added challenge of having to clear a 10-foot-high wall over the roof’s parapet.

The early childhood center will be a part of the 140,000 SF Horizons Center, a unique public/private joint venture that will create a single and accessible home for social services agencies dedicated to transforming the education, health, and well-being of at-risk children and families in Boston.

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