The Molloy Education Center is part of the Niles Township District for Special Education #807, which is a dedicated educational institution that focuses on providing specialized services and support to students with diverse learning needs in the Niles Township area.
Research and Project Vision
The staff at the Molloy Education Center researched adding a Sensory Path to their exterior playground area. They found examples that they were hoping to provide for their students. They called upon Jim Guthrie, one of Hester’s Sr. Project Managers, to help make their dream project a reality.
Sensory Path Design Features
The staff provided a rendering with photos of the layout along with stencils of various images, shapes, and sizes. Some of the interactive features of the sensory path are:
- Numbered sunflower leaves
- A pond with lily pads
- Ladybugs
- An alphabetical path
- Bare feet patterns
Materials Used
Sherwin Williams Moisture Cured Polyurethane Floor Coating was used to create the background and all colors. The same material was used to provide a protective clear coat as the final coat with added anti-skid.
Project Execution
Once the stencils and materials were ready, Hester Painting & Decorating’s incredibly talented painter, Dante Perlata, was ready to turn this dream into a wonderful reality for the children at Molloy Education Center.
Project Completion
As you can see in the following time-lapse video of the amazing project, this project was incredibly detailed with many of the stencils having multiple colors involved in the final product. And most important, as you will see at the end of the video, the children love their new sensory path.
Thank you to the team at Molloy Education Center for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful addition to the playground. We are incredibly proud of the final product.
Client Testimonial
“The new sensory path created at the Molloy Education Center by Hester Painting and Decorating was designed to engage students during recess. The interactive path includes the alphabet, numbers, images, and colors, and provides a fun and educational experience. It’s a great way for our students to explore, learn, and develop their motor skills while enjoying their time outdoors, playing with friends, and enhancing their social skills. Our students love it! It is also used every day after school hours when our adapted playground and gardens are open to the community.”
– Kathy Gavin, part of the Leadership Team at NTDSE
