It was time to move. “After 25 years in a variety of locations that we “made work,” we hadn’t found the perfect fit,” said Susan McCormick, director at Children’s Odyssey.  “And, then we did – it was the mothballed Reed School on Homestead Ave in Portland – built in 1926.” It had been vacant for 5 years when the child care team at Children’s Odyssey fell in love with the space. 

The challenge? Children’s Odyssey, a nonprofit providing structured programming for 75 children of varied developmental levels didn’t know where to start! Enter the City of Portland, the Developers Collaborative and CEI. Using State Historic Tax Credits, CEI provided financing to bridge remediation and renovation costs to move Children’s Odyssey to the historic Reed School in Portland. Today, the space also includes 8 market rate apartments.  

Windows were unblocked and restored. Asbestos and mold were removed. Bathrooms were added to each classroom and space was added for individual child needs for services, such as speech therapy. The Children’s Odyssey teachers selected state-of-the-art materials to help the children achieve their full potential. The move to the former Reed School more than doubled the number of children served and created more than 10 new jobs.   

“This is Children’s Odyssey’s second partnership with Coastal Enterprises, Inc. We are grateful for CEI’s commitment to the enhancement of community programs such as ours for which conventional financing options were limited. We could not have realized our dream of a new building and expanded programs without CEI’s support. Thank you on behalf of Children’s Odyssey’s teachers, parents, therapists, and children,” said McCormick. 

As a women-operated and controlled business, Children’s Odyssey has established a reputation in the community as an organization that meets the needs of an often-underserved population. The child care facility primarily works with children with autism or behavioral challenges between the ages of two and five. The specialized approach and 100% Department of Education certified staff see remarkable progress in the children who go through the program, and in some instances, complete elimination of symptoms. Children’s Odyssey has reached the highest level of quality – 5 stars on Maine’s child care quality rating system. 

Children’s Odyssey currently employs 40 staff, including many employees who have been with the organization for more than ten years. With competitive wages, paid vacation time, insurance benefits, and paid training and certification of all teachers, the Children’s Odyssey leaders strive to create a desirable work environment and a good job for everyone. People go into the special needs education field because of their passion for helping children – and they stay at places like The Children’s Odyssey because of the team-oriented, inclusive vibe, open and frequent communication, and notable benefits. 

At the ribbon cutting ceremony in August 2018, Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling spoke about the need for Universal Pre-K and that of the more than 500 children in Portland needing Pre-K services, only 120 are currently served. Institutions like Children’s Odyssey are critical in meeting the need. mining how some of the two-and-a-half acres of green space can be shared for community uses.

Learn more about the project from this video produced by Maine Preservation.