ACES Village School was awarded a $72,000 grant from Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA), which will be used for kitchen improvements and helping students with their independent functionality.

The grant will make food preparation fully OSHA compliant, and streamline wheelchair access to the food service area, particularly when students are operating, or learning to operate, a wheelchair independently.

ACES Village School, at 31 Temple Street, provides collaborative educational, emotional, and physical services to children ages 3 to 14 years with a range of cognitive, physical, behavioral, language, and medical challenges.

Village School Principal Virginia Tagliatela said students in wheelchairs have trouble making a turn through the existing doorway, and a more accessible pathway will give the students greater independence.

CHEFA Grant Program Manager Betty Weintraub said the grant focused on diversity and inclusion, such as for renovating older buildings not set up for ADA compliance. Tagliatela said words can’t express how excited the school is to receive the grant, as it will help increase students’ independence and will result in a positive effect for students for years to come.

ACES Village School provides collaborative educational, emotional, and physical services to children ages 3 to 14 years with a range of cognitive, physical, behavioral, language, and medical challenges. Tagliatela said serves about 160 students.

CHEFA is a quasi-governmental agency created to help Connecticut-based non-profit organizations raise the funds needed to meet their goals of improving the health and education of its citizens.