Educators, state and local officials, community leaders and supporters
attended the afternoon event - which also marked the second Early Childhood
Center this year that the SCC has slated for construction in the City
of Elizabeth.
Construction of the new Early Childhood Center at School No. 45 at
130 Trumbull Street will provide pre-Kindergarten classrooms for 300
3-year-old and 4-year-old students. The project involves new construction
of a 54,000 square-foot center. It will include 20 classrooms, a large
multi-purpose room, innovative soft-surface play courts, a full service
kitchen, small group instructional spaces and administrative and faculty
spaces.
Last spring, the SCC and Elizabeth school officials broke ground -
and construction is under way - for a new $12 million Early Childhood
Center at School No. 44 on North Broad Street. This will be a 56,000
square-foot facility, also for 300 pre-K students, but otherwise the
accommodations are nearly identical to those of School No. 45.
Both projects are being fully funded and managed by the SCC under the
State's $8.6 billion school construction program.
"These projects in Elizabeth represent New Jersey's continued commitment
to our children. We are living up to our most important obligation by
providing 21st century facilities to ensure every child has the opportunity
to get the education they deserve and the skills necessary to start
school," said Governor McGreevey.
"The state is committed to improving school facilities for New Jersey
students in a cost-effective, streamlined and efficient manner. School
buildings must be designed to provide access to modern technology and
a thoughtful environment which is conducive to student achievement,"
Governor McGreevey added.
Thomas G. Dunn, Jr., Superintendent of
Elizabeth Public Schools |
School Superintendent Thomas J. Dunn, Jr. stated, "The goal of the
Elizabeth Public Schools is not only to educate its students, but to
create atmospheres in which they can flourish. The amount of children
currently enrolled in our district reaches well over 21,000, and continues
to increase. We are making every effort to accommodate this growing
population and the construction of the Early Childhood Education Center,
School No. 45 is just one example of how we are meeting that goal.
"This Center will provide classrooms for 300 pre-kindergarteners. It
is the second structure in a series of 22 facilities to be constructed
in Elizabeth as part of the SCC initiative. We are looking forward to
the end of 2004 with great anticipation, when we will have two new,
state-of-the-art facilities in place to welcome 600 more students as
they begin their academic careers," Dunn said.
Jack Spencer, CEO of SCC |
Jack Spencer, the CEO of the
SCC, noted, "The early childhood centers being built in Elizabeth are
the latest examples of the progress made in implementing New Jersey 's
historic school construction initiative. They are representative of the
many quality school facilities that will be built throughout the state
under the educational facilities law."
Under the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act, the
SCC is responsible for school projects throughout the State. The program
is the largest public construction program ever undertaken by the State
of New Jersey and represents one of the largest programs of its type
ever undertaken in the nation.
