New Location for ACCEPT Education Collaborative

Natick-based nonprofit ACCEPT Education Collaborative (AEC) has served students with disabilities as a school resource provider, transportation system, and more. Now, the organization has moved from 220 N. Main St. to 4 Tech Circle, into a brand new building designed with their needs in mind, enabling AEC to support the children and young adults they serve at a higher level this fall.
Learning Differently
Students from kindergarten through fifth grade attend AEC like they would a public school, traveling from home to learn in classroom settings during the week. AEC has the standard educational facilities, such as a combination cafeteria and auditorium and leisure center, but offer many specialized amenities as well.
Occupational and physical therapy, life and community skills, and professional development centers all bolster a multi-faceted program that supports people with disabilities from childhood through young adulthood. These services assist transitions from AEC to college, work, or adult services.
In addition, AEC transports students with disabilities to over 100 locations a day throughout Massachusetts, and even out-of-state. These students are typically from families who cannot be educated in their districts, and seek private education further away from home.
Marcia Berkowitz, Executive Director of AEC sympathizes with these students. “It’s hard enough to leave the district and not be with your peers,” she said. “To be able to come to school in a place you feel proud of and excited for is important.” Berkowitz hopes that AEC will fit these descriptions for many young people that walk through their doors.
Finding a Home
At AEC’s previous location, Berkowitz could not provide all she dreamed of offering people with disabilities and their families. In June of 2014, she sought the help of William Hurley, a former business manager for Natick who worked in the public school system, to find a new location.
At the time, Hurley was about to enter retirement. “I said, ‘I can do that for a year,’” he remembered. “That was three years ago.” Now Director of Finance and Business Operations, Hurley describes himself as “semi-retired,” as he devotes a significant amount of time to AEC.
The team searched throughout the Metrowest area to find a suitable location. “We got close to a couple of times and were really excited, and then something would happen,” Berkowitz recalled. “When we found the location at 4 Tech Circle, we were cautiously optimistic.”
4 Tech Circle was once a hub for the ambulance company American Medical Response. In October of 2016, R.W. Holmes Realty bought the building and hired general contractor R.P. Masiello to renovate, while an architect did the design. The job has been on or ahead of schedule, and Berkowitz and Hurley feel fortunate to be working all parties involved.
Unique Offerings
The life and community skills rooms, for ages 18 to 22, are among the most outstanding features of the new facility. Mock spaces will provide opportunities to practice for real-world scenarios, including a sidewalk with a Walk/Don’t Walk light, a fully furnished apartment, and Roche Bros. and Staples “stores” which resemble miniature versions of company locations.
“It’s a multifaceted space that will be able to serve many different demographics and needs. We’re trying to build a little community,” Berkowitz explained.
“This is a tremendous project,” Hurley added. “We knew we would eventually find something, and we would make it work, but what’s happened here is beyond our wildest imaginations.”
The team is thankful to the residents and businesses that have donated the many items that fill their location. AEC is seeking a full bed for their apartment section, as well as a podium for Berkowitz and the other presenters that will visit the nonprofit (contact AEC at 508-653-6776 or email thiggins@accept.org for details before bringing items by).
Celebrating Education
Students will begin school at AEC on Wednesday, July 5, and the community is invited to attend the Family Fun Day event on Saturday, September 16, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. All the events will take place at the 4 Tech Circle location, and will include Touch-a-Truck, raffles, face painting, and other entertainment.
To learn more about ACCEPT Education Collaborative, visit www.accept.org.