The Birchtree Center Moving to Larger Facility in Newington, NHJanuary 4, 2010 The new year will bring big changes for The Birchtree Center’s students with autism. Starting on January 4, these students, who range in age from two to twenty-one years, will no longer go to school in a small building on Jewell Court in Portsmouth. Their special educational day-school program is moving to a larger, custom-renovated facility at 2064 Woodbury Avenue in Newington, New Hampshire.
The nonprofit Birchtree Center, which opened its doors in 2002, had long been seeking room to grow. Its school building was at full capacity, and a growing number of children needed help. During Birchtree’s first seven years, the number of New Hampshire students diagnosed with autism increased by 232%, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. “Every week, we got phone calls from families and school districts in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire interested in placing a child at Birchtree, recalls Executive Director Christine Guarino, “but our space was just too limited.”
The Birchtree Center started an Outreach Program to offer its autism services in homes and public schools throughout northern New England. But the organization struggled to accommodate all the students who needed an (often short-term) placement in the center’s special educational day-school program. At the center, Birchtree’s autism specialists offer intensive, one-on-one instruction and therapy to help students learn the social, communication, academic, behavioral, and life skills necessary for full and productive lives. It is the only such program approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education that enrolls exclusively children with autism.
Some long-standing friends of The Birchtree Center stepped up to assist the organization in securing room to grow. Realtor Gail Hughes helped find an ideal location in Newington Park. Attorneys Dan Hoefle and Jane Ferrini helped negotiate a lease agreement. Architects Bruce Dicker and Mike Parma of JSA, Incorporated, designed interior renovations to make the building suit the special needs of children with autism.
At the Town of Newington, Building Inspector Charles Smart and Fire Chief Roy Greenleaf provided invaluable assistance, as did Town Planner Tom Morgan, the Selectmen, and many other staff and board members. Dick Johnson of Pine Brook Corporation oversaw renovations to the facility. Construction proceeded on schedule and was completed just in time for the school to make its move over the winter holiday. “We are very grateful to everyone who helped welcome Birchtree to its new home,” says Executive Director Christine Guarino.
Birchtree’s specially trained instructors prepared their students for the relocation. “Many children and youth with autism crave routine and prefer familiar surroundings,” says Program Director Sandra Pierce-Jordan, “so we worked with our families to make the new classrooms as familiar as possible to our students before their first school day in the new building.” Many students with autism are visual learners, so instructors are created illustrated step-by-step schedules to show students what they could expect in their new classrooms. Many families visited the new facility over the winter vacation.
The new location offers three times the space and will accommodate many more students. “We’re so grateful to the generous friends who are allowing our organization meet the growing demand for our services,” says Glicka Kaplan, president of the organization’s board of directors. “We can’t wait to welcome children to the new space!” Birchtree’s students will find a facility that offers many improvements over their old school, including a larger gym, an art and music classroom, a sensory integration room, and a fully equipped kitchen and laundry for teaching students the skills of daily living. Planned future improvements include a special-needs playground and equipment for vocational training.
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