Developer partners with childcare provider for a new school in Niskayuna

Our World Montessori, a childcare provider in Niskayuna, is building a new school in partnership with Spraragen Partners, a Schenectady-based developer.

Construction recently started on the new childcare facility at 46 Commerce Park Drive in Niskayuna. Local approvals and permitting were expedited for construction to finish by September, when the school's current lease ends. It is Niskayuna’s first newly constructed, licensed childcare facility in more than 20 years.

The new 5,600-square-foot facility is the first daycare center that Spraragen Partners has built. Head of School Diane Lanci and developer Brooke Spraragen connected after Spraragen enrolled her children at the school. The school will be moving from a leased building at 1335 Balltown Road, near the CVS Pharmacy.

"We are in a building that was built in the 1950s and it has not been maintained. So there are consistent problems," Lanci said. "We were looking for something with more green space for outdoor exploration, and we've worked with a number of Realtors over the years, but there never was anything that was just the right piece for us to move. When Brooke became a parent here, she observed the state of the building and just had this vision of what we could possibly be."

The total cost of construction is $2.4 million, with a $500,000 grant from Empire State Development and support from The Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority. Capital Bank is financing the project.

It was still difficult to find a spot to build — Spraragen said the zoning for childcare centers is tricky.

“It’s not about just finding a building or a site. You have to be zoned for daycare," she explained. "In the town of Niskayuna, the site has to be two acres, and real estate inventory is obviously the low supply and the high demand. So finding a spot that was two acres ... was hard, and then you had to find a site that was in the zoning that would allow daycare. We just lucked out with Niskayuna Commerce Park because it fit every check mark.”

Spraragen Partners, through a limited liability company, purchased the lot from Galesi Group for $578,250.

Our World Montessori will lease the new building from Spraragen Partners.

The new facility will allow the school to expand to serve 56 children, with the potential to expand up to 80, as well as extending care to infants.

"As this project was going on, two daycares in Niskayuna have both closed within six weeks of each other ... it’s already a childcare desert. We can’t afford to lose another 46 spots," Spraragen said. "So not only is Diane going to be retaining 46 spots, she’ll be adding more capacity, introducing infant daycare, which is even harder to get into than toddler.”

The building will have five classrooms designed to support Montessori learning, along with dedicated outdoor green space and an activity center. The layout allows parents to drop children off at the door.

The new daycare is located in the Niskayuna Commerce Park adjacent to major technology employers, including Momentive, EOne, GE Aerospace, GE Vernova and KAPL.

Albany Business Review: Developer partners with childcare provider for a new school in Niskayuna — Read article