For close to 60 years, The Community Group has provided educational programs that have served the needs of families in Lawrence. Generations of children have been empowered with a foundation for success through learning, collaboration, and community engagement.

What began in 1970 as a small child care facility for 20 families has grown exponentially into an organization that provides center and home-based early childhood education, after-school and summer enrichment, child care workforce development and training, and child care resource and referral services, all while managing Community Day Charter Public School, a K1 through grade 8 charter public school. Collectively, our programs educate and care for approximately 2,400 children annually.

While we continue to grow and adapt our programs to address community needs as they arise, our robust growth over the past decades presents many challenges, as our facilities have not always grown and adapted with us. Our programs and school sites are geographically dispersed across 19 different city locations, many in spaces that were not designed for educational purposes, or for the growing number of children and families served daily. Our long-term impact, reflected in child and family success, necessitates a more modern and community-centered environment, where programs can better meet the needs of children and families. Simply put, our current facilities no longer reflect the level of excellence we aim to deliver.

Over ten years ago, our vision to establish a new, year-round home for several of our programs resulted in the purchase of a rare property at 663 Andover Street in Lawrence, with over seven acres of green space, rolling hills and forestry tucked away near an interstate highway in a mostly industrial zone.

Guided by stakeholder input, each thoughtfully designed component will meaningfully shape the impact of our work on the children that will use the building. During the school day, this building will be home to 480 Community Day Charter Public School students in grades 5 – 8. After school or during the summer, approximately 300 additional students from schools throughout the city will attend our child care and enrichment program, Community Kids Place. After years of strategic planning, preparation, and partnership, we are in the final stages of fundraising to build a unique, state of the art, secure building that will offer:

• A year-round, versatile educational hub combining multiple public charter school campuses, licensed after-school and summer child care programs, and shared spaces for collaboration.
• Innovative instruction and project-based learning, supported by dedicated STEM and enrichment classrooms that will serve both the school and after-school/summer programs.
• Access to indoor recreation, sports programming, and communal gatherings– anchored by a modern full-sized gymnasium and a welcoming cafeteria with A/V capabilities.
• Nature-based educational and recreational experiences across acres of lush, green outdoor space, promoting physical wellness and social-emotional growth.
• A nurturing environment with thoughtfully designed classroom pods and breakout spaces that foster personalized learning and include home-like design touches to promote comfort and connection.

Imagine the possibilities and opportunities for the children and families of The Community Group and Community Day Charter Public School – with an enhanced campus that is equipped with tools and features to best build on our success and continue to prepare children for the future.

Now is the time for you to help and invest in our children and families. For almost a decade we have been planning this ambitious project. We invite you to partner with us as we engage businesses, individuals, neighbors and friends to raise the final stage of this critical project. Your support will have a lasting positive impact on our vibrant community.