BIRCH FAMILY SERVICES

Washington Heights Education Center

NEW YORK CHAPTER — New York, NY

Big Picture

Birch Family Services empowers individuals with autism and developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives. They support more than 2,000 individuals and their families daily across 31 locations in Manhattan. Their Washington Heights Education Center is a vibrant community program serving both typically developing and special needs preschoolers from ages 3-5. Project Color Corps partnered with them to bring color to the area where the preschoolers play.

A Conversation About Color

The young students and their teachers were asked to share their favorite colors and how those colors make them feel. The kids gave their ideas of what they would like to see in their newly painted play area.

The Transformation

The feedback from the surveys was used to determine the color direction and spirit of the artwork resulting in 2 palettes, UPBEAT ENERGY and MAGICAL CHEER. The palettes were applied to the design, created by Amanda Bacha of M Moser, representing hope, healing, and inclusivity for students. After the vote, the winning palette was UPBEAT ENERGY.

UPBEAT ENERGY

MAGICAL CHEER

The 55-foot long x 9-foot high artwork covers three walls of the playground and serves as a colorful backdrop in the outdoor playspace for students who face a variety of learning challenges.
The colorful, ‘mod’ installation was created with 8 colors and was painted by Project Color Corps designers, volunteers, and students. It is an instantly optimistic and timeless transformation for the Washington Heights Education Center play yard!