Kaplan Construction starts work on early education center

Brookline, MA Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm, has been engaged by EE for All, LLC to build a new 20,000 s/f early education center at 127 Harvard St. The Center for Partnership in Early Education (CPEE) – a full-day non-profit early education center funded by the Cause du Jour Foundation – will have a five-story state-of-the-art building. In addition to classrooms, the Center will include a children’s library, sensory gym, parent resource center, makers space, a fourth-floor indoor-outdoor playground, therapy rooms, and meeting and consultation spaces for educators, specialists and parents. The goal of the CPEE is to provide the very best early education to a wide range of families in Brookline and surrounding communities – with a focus on diverse populations including children from underserved families, English language learners, children of Brookline’s Town employees, the younger siblings of METCO students, and those families looking for a balanced play-based curriculum rich in STEM and literacy to instill a love of learning and a nurturing of a child’s natural curiosity. The Center will employ a new curriculum written by Vicki Milstein, former principal of Brookline Early Education Program (BEEP) and international speaker on early education.  

Kaplan was hired in 2017 to provide pre-construction services and manage the demolition of an existing Victorian-style split office building on the site before construction began in earnest in the fall of 2019. Located adjacent to several private businesses along busy Harvard Street, the work had to be methodically coordinated throughout the demolition sequence to minimize its impact on the area.  

“We are creating a non-profit organization to help our community. We are woman-owned and women-led. Kaplan is our neighbor and in addition to leading a world-class general contracting and construction group, Jane and Nate understand the mission to serve the community in which they also live. They have worked closely with us to make the vision a reality,” said Laura Trust, the school’s creator.  

Brookline parks are full to capacity and private childcare centers are required to provide their own playgrounds to meet licensing requirements. Due to the size of the lot and required parking and drop-off areas, CPEE chose to locate the playground on a terrace created on the fourth floor. Kaplan anticipates challenges during construction, including ensuring a tight roof despite numerous penetrations for the playground structures that must be anchored to the building. Additional structure, coordination and attention to waterproofing details will be critical to the success of the installation. A five-foot-tall aluminum perimeter fence on top of a two-foot-high parapet will be installed to ensure the children’s safety as they use the playground.  

With more than 15 childcare projects in its portfolio, Kaplan has worked on both new construction and renovation projects for early education clients, including four projects for Bright Horizons Family Solutions.  

The project team for CPEE includes:
•    Owner: EE for All, LLC
•    Construction Manager: Kaplan Construction
•    Architect: CBT
•    Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineer: Wozny/Barbar & Associates, Inc.
•    Civil Engineer: Bryant Associates
•    Structural Engineer: Foley Buhl Roberts & Associates Inc.