Boys & Girls Village Receives Unanimous Approval for New Construction and School Expansion

 Boys & Girls Village (BGV), a statewide leader in providing behavioral health treatment, permanency planning, and educational services to Connecticut’s most vulnerable youth and their families, has been approved to move forward with construction of a new program building and the expansion of the Charles F. Hayden School on its Milford campus. The City of Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the nonprofit agency’s request at its meeting Tuesday night.

The new 15,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility to be constructed will allow BGV to expand the sophisticated programs and services that are provided in Milford. Those programs include a 16-bed children’s psychiatric care unit (Kids INN), a 12-bed residential treatment program for boys (Safe Haven), in-home treatment and family reunification programs, and the agency’s administrative offices.

The new building will replace the outdated, original farmhouse and a series of “temporary buildings” which have served as BGV’s home for decades. Those buildings will be taken down and staff is being relocated to allow BGV’s programs to operate without interruption during the construction.

The 8,300 square-foot expansion of the Upper School will accommodate the recent addition of the 11^th and 12^th grades which allows BGV to offer a valuable continuum of educational services to its students. The expansion will include a larger student center and gymnasium, additional classroom space, and a full-size cafeteria.

“Boys & Girls Village has experienced unprecedented growth over the past five years; we have almost doubled in size in terms of our school, our staff, and the programs we offer," said Dr. Steven M. Kant, President and CEO of BGV, who thanked the City of Milford for its ongoing support through this process. “This new facility and a larger school will allow us to connect a greater number of children and families in Connecticut to the valuable care and support our agency offers.”

The construction of the new program building will be funded, in part, by a $2.16 Million grant awarded to BGV last spring through the State of Connecticut's Nonprofit Grant Program. BGV will match that grant, drawing on capital support from its donors. A $2 Million grant from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families will fund the Hayden School expansion. The work is scheduled to be done in phases, beginning this spring, and is expected to be completed in 2018.