When bordering Camden County public school districts, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, were looking to expand their preschool programs, they discovered that if they worked together, they could each get the space they needed and meet both of their communities’ desires for a full-time preschool.
After an unfruitful effort to locate a suitable property in Voorhees, the district’s director of buildings and grounds, Clark Mathes, found a vacant property in nearby Gibbsboro and brought it to his district’s officials for consideration. They reached out to a local realtor who found a former skating rink facility, which was then converted into a dental/medical office building and had been empty for about seven years, might be a good fit.
Once the match was made, special board meetings were convened, fostering extensive communication and engagement with local and state officials across municipal and county levels. From there, once both districts were on the same page and understood the benefit of the project for each of their communities, Voorhees moved ahead with its plan to buy the property. It had to acquire a change of use for the building through the Gibbsboro Zoning and Planning boards and filed an application for educational specifications with the New Jersey Department of Education.
The two school districts eventually entered into a 5-year shared service agreement, where Voorhees purchased the building and applied to the New Jersey Department of Education for a $6 million preschool facilities expansion grant.
The $18 million project only cost Voorhees $12 million thanks to its capital reserve account, which eliminated the need for a voter referendum, according to Helen Haley, business administrator for Voorhees Township Board of Education.
“It really was a success. It was a lot of work, and it was thinking outside of the box,” said Haley. “Making sure people were on board with it took a little time too, because it’s different. We tried to make sure it all made sense to everyone.”
The building acquisition marked a significant milestone in Voorhees’ five-year plan, a strategic initiative that began in 2022 following the district’s successful application for the state’s Preschool Expansion Aid (PEA) program. Through this program, Voorhees proposed expanding its educational services to 500 preschoolers by the 2026-2027 school year. As part of the grant, the district needed to supply enough classrooms during that period. It did so with four classrooms at one of its elementary schools, two private provider preschool locations, and rounding out the final required classrooms through its new preschool building located in Gibbsboro.
Fast forward and The Voorhees Early Childhood Development Center (VECDC) has been fully refurbished to become an operational preschool today. Located at 250 Haddonfield-Berlin Road in Gibbsboro, it includes a colorful playground, office space and an elevator. The building has 24 classrooms, 19 of which will be used by Voorhees and five leased by Gibbsboro, with a capacity of 15 students in each room.
Working Together under One Roof In carrying their shared services spirit even further, both school districts also will share a safety specialist, school nurse, custodian and school safety officer for the school.
“The completion of this project was truly a labor of love,” said Voorhees Township Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Neely Hackett. “It began with writing and submitting the PEA grant just 30 days after I started my position in Voorhees. What began as a desire to bring full-day preschool to the district has since transformed into a beautiful building and a meaningful partnership with a neighboring community.”
The modern building features a brick facade and a two-story glass atrium. It was refurbished into a preschool under the direction of architect, Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie, PC, of Trenton, N.J. and Weatherby Construction & Renovation Corp. of Atlantic City.
Operating with a temporary certificate of occupancy, Voorhees opened the 35,000 square-foot building on June 2 for a few weeks with 93 students. The trial run allowed the district to conduct a traffic study, so that when it fully opens in September with 360 students, requiring eight school buses and parent drop offs, traffic will flow effectively.
A State-Endorsed Approach The Voorhees Early Childhood Development Center is just one recent example of districts exploring new ways of working together and using shared services agreements to benefit their communities and save taxpayer dollars — a move that would be applauded by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
In 2021, the DCA’s Division of Local Government Services issued a report called “Shared Services-Working Together.” The high-level guide to joint service feasibility studies and shared service agreements, conducted by the department’s Local Assistance Bureau (LAB), studied the topic including legal considerations, costs, public reaction and policy issues, and how to properly assess resources for when two or more public entities want to share or consolidate their services.
Local Joint Effort Paid Off Gibbsboro Elementary School District Board of Education President Joyce Miller has said that for her community, the collaboration with Voorhees will allow more Gibbsboro families to enroll their children in full-day preschool at no cost.
That’s a big win for both towns.
“It will also create more space for our K-8 students during the school day in the areas of technology, literacy and world languages,” Miller has said in a prepared statement.
The VECDC is adjacent to the Gibbsboro Senior Center, and its playground is open to the public.
“The partnership between the Voorhees and Gibbsboro school districts is a win-win for both communities. By sharing space and resources, we are expanding access to high-quality early childhood education while strengthening the relationship between our districts,” said Hackett of Voorhees. “Together, we are investing in the success of our youngest learners and laying a foundation that will support families for years to come.”
Each district will supply its own principal, teachers and curriculum to the school. In the end though, the students will all meet again in the future at the Eastern Regional Camden County High School comprised of Gibbsboro, Voorhees and Berlin Borough.
“The great thing is that we have — the cooperation of two different towns, and we were awarded that $6 million preschool facilities expansion grant.”
Rosa Cirianni is the owner of Rose Write Strategies and is an NJSBA consultant.
