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Aspire Living & Learning acquires 47-acre former University campus in Orange. October 2, 2026 Aspire Living & Learning has acquired the former University of New Haven satellite campus in Orange, Connecticut, securing a 47-acre property that will consolidate several of the nonprofit's education, adult services and administrative operations. Aspire closed on the property at 584 Derby Milford Road on September 28. The campus includes a 70,680-square-foot building that the organization plans to renovate over the next year, with programming expected to begin in summer 2027. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The property will become the new home of the Trumbull location of Aspire Living & Learning Academy, the nonprofit's private special education school. Aspire will also relocate its adult community-based day program and Connecticut administrative offices, which are currently based in Hamden, to the Orange campus. The organization's ALL Academy locations in Naugatuck and Stamford will remain in their existing facilities. The acquisition gives Aspire significantly more space to consolidate operations while creating dedicated environments for its different programs. The organization plans to renovate the former university property to support education, adult programming, administrative functions and potential future expansion. "We've been looking for an opportunity like this in Connecticut," Aspire CEO Erica Hare said. "Orange gives us room to strengthen what we offer today while also thinking about where we want to go next." For ALL Academy, the redevelopment will focus on accessibility, technology and individualized learning environments for neurodivergent students. Aspire said the larger campus will provide opportunities to broaden learning and skill-building experiences while maintaining the individualized support provided through its special education model. "Special education shouldn't be about fitting a student into a program. It should be about building the right environment around that student," said Dr. Elizabeth Sellinger, Aspire's chief of clinical and children's services. The Orange property also creates a dedicated base for Aspire's adult community-based day program. While participants will have space on campus, Aspire plans to continue emphasizing activities and experiences throughout the surrounding community. That approach will extend to workforce development. Aspire intends to establish relationships with employers, businesses and community organizations in the area to create additional employment, internship, volunteer and community-based learning opportunities for students and adults. The acquisition therefore represents more than a physical relocation for the nonprofit. The 47-acre campus gives Aspire the ability to bring several Connecticut operations together while developing a larger network of educational, employment and community partnerships around the property. Aspire is also seeking philanthropic support for elements of the redevelopment that extend beyond its core renovation plans. Donations could help finance technology, equipment and additional learning environments and experiences, while volunteers and businesses will have opportunities to participate through partnerships and professional expertise. "There are so many ways to be part of what we're creating in Orange," said John Whittemore, associate vice president of growth and advancement at Aspire. "For some, that might mean becoming an employment partner or volunteering their time and expertise." The redevelopment also represents an adaptive reuse of a substantial former higher-education property. Rather than maintaining the 70,680-square-foot building as a university satellite campus, Aspire will configure the facility around specialized educational and community-based services. Aspire has not disclosed the expected cost of the renovations or detailed plans for how the building and surrounding acreage will ultimately be configured. The nonprofit plans to provide additional information about the renovation and campus programming during the coming year, along with opportunities for community members, businesses, donors and other potential partners to visit and participate. With programming targeted to begin in summer 2027, the Orange acquisition establishes a larger Connecticut hub for Aspire while providing room to expand its educational and adult services over time.

Aspire opens the door to a new home in Connecticut. If you've driven the Merritt Parkway through Orange, you may already recognize the campus at 584 Derby Milford Road. Once a satellite campus for the University of New Haven, it now has a new future. Aspire Living & Learning is pleased to share Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. purchased the property to become a new home for several Aspire programs in Connecticut, including the current ALL Academy in Trumbull, its adult community-based day program and administrative offices currently based in Hamden. Over the next year, Aspire Living & Learning, Inc.'ll renovate the campus and create dedicated spaces for each program, with plans to begin programming in summer 2027. And Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. want to bring you along. Aspire Living & Learning, Inc.'ll share what Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. is planning, show you the campus as it changes, introduce some of the people helping shape it and create opportunities for families, neighbors, businesses, volunteers, partners and supporters to get involved. There's a lot Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. already know about what the campus will become and plenty Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. is still working through. Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. know Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. want spaces designed around how people learn, work, build skills and spend their days. Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. want room for programs to grow and change over time. And Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. want the campus to become a place that connects Aspire more closely with the community around Aspire Living & Learning, Inc.. "We've been looking for an opportunity like this in Connecticut," said Erica Hare, Aspire CEO. "Orange gives us room to strengthen what we offer today while also thinking about where we want to go next. We can create spaces that better support the work happening now while giving Aspire room to grow and respond to what the people we support and communities around us need in the years ahead." ALL Academy will be an important part of those plans. The school's current Trumbull program will move to Orange, giving Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. an opportunity to reimagine what special education can look like. Rather than asking students to fit into a traditional school model, ALL Academy starts with what each student needs to learn, grow and prepare for what comes next. The Orange campus gives Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. the freedom to build on that approach, explore new ideas and connect learning more closely with each student'sinterests, goals and lives beyond school. "Special education shouldn't be about fitting a student into a program. It should be about building the right environment around that student," said Dr. Elizabeth Sellinger, chief of clinical and children's services. "Orange gives us an opportunity to push that thinking further, to be innovative in how students learn and build skills, and to create more pathways for each student to work toward the future they want." Its adult community-based day program will also have dedicated space at Orange, as will teams currently working from its Hamden office. Each program will have an environment designed around its own work, with access to the broader expertise and resources across Aspire. And Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. is thinking beyond what Aspire can create on its own. Many of the opportunities people pursue through Aspire begin with relationships in the community. Employers open doors to jobs and careers. Businesses and community organizations create places to learn, contributeand try something new. Volunteers bring their own skills and interests. Donors can help Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. do more than Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. could on its own. Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. want Orange to create more of those connections from the start. While renovations will prepare the campus for the programs moving there, its hopes for Orange go further. With philanthropic support, Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. can invest in additional spaces, equipment, technology and experiences that expand what people can learn, try and do. Interested in supporting the future of its Orange campus? Make a gift today! "There are so many ways to be part of what we're creating in Orange," said John Whittemore, AVP of growth and advancement. "For some, that might mean becoming an employment partner or volunteering their time and expertise. For others, it might mean making a gift that helps bring an idea for the campus to life. Each can open up new opportunities for the people we support." John and Philanthropy Manager Kim Vigliotti will lead this work over the coming year, building relationships with community partners and donors who want to be part of what Orange becomes. There's plenty to do before programming begins in August 2027, and this is only the beginning. Over the coming year, Aspire Living & Learning, Inc.'ll bring you inside the campus as it changes, share more about the ideas taking shape for ALL Academy and adult services, and introduce you to some of the people behind the work. There will also be opportunities to visit, volunteer, partner with Aspire Living & Learning, Inc. and help make more possible at Orange. If you've passed the campus from the Merritt before, keep an eye on it. Next time, it might look a little different.