https://www.greenwichtime.com/fairfield/article/fairfield-preschool-katona-drive-goddard-22220429.php
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FAIRFIELD – A former office building on Katona Drive is set to be converted into a new preschool to help meet growing demand for childcare.
60 Katona Drive LLC, led by Joshua Cohen and real estate partner Brett Sherman, purchased the two-story, 18,343-square-foot building at 60 Katona Drive for $2.5 million in March.
Brett and Kim Sherman, who operate the Goddard School preschool at 1280 Stratfield Road, plan to convert the building into Fairfield’s second location of the national franchise.
The building had previously been approved for conversion into 18 apartments by a Naugatuck-based developer, but those plans fell through after decades of office use.
“The highest and best use, in our opinion, was a daycare, especially with the demands and needs for more daycare spots for kids,” Brett Sherman said.
That demand is reflected in a substantial waitlist at the existing school, he added.
Plans for the new preschool include 15 classrooms, two indoor gymnasiums and three outdoor playgrounds.
Brett Sherman said the building will be essentially new with a new facade, doors, windows, siding, lighting and fully updated interior and exterior components.
The Shermans expect the school to open by December. The facility will have a maximum capacity of 188 students and employ between 35 and 40 full- and part-time staff members.
While the both schools are operated by the Shermans, the 60 Katona Drive property is owned by Brett Sherman and Cohen. The Shermans also have a partner for the both Fairfield locations who oversee the Goddard Schools in Brookfield and Danbury as well.
There are roughly a dozen Goddard Schools across Connecticut, including in Monroe, Shelton, Westport, Darien, Wethersfield, Farmington and Orange, Brett Sherman said.
Kim Sherman said she has already begun giving tours to prospective parents, introducing them to the school and its curriculum.
“It’s going to be a very similar school in the way it’s set up,” Kim Sherman said.
The new preschool will be located about a mile and a half from the existing site, allowing it to function as a companion school.
“In order to satisfy the waitlist, we built this close by so that we can easily and seamlessly work together,” Kim Sherman said, adding that the proximity will allow her to move easily between both locations.
She said there are technically a few hundred names on the waitlist, though some families have since moved away or no longer need care. New families continue to be added regularly.
The preschool is currently hiring and training staff ahead of its opening, including bringing some teachers in from the existing location.
The Shermans had been searching for a new site for some time as demand continued to grow.
“I get calls every day from parents looking for childcare,” Kim Sherman said. “There’s a huge need in town for childcare, and we’re excited to fill that need.”
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