Wide-eyed students and parents stepped off the elevator at Manhattan Star Academy's (MSA) new upper West Side school.

The large classrooms, bright colors, different surfaces for children to feel along hallway walls, the toys and books … it was, as Keren Moore, a parent, put it "home."

"They put so much thought into the school," said Keren, whose daughter Ella Rosenbloom attends the school. "The brightness and smartness, it's so open and inviting."

Move-in day was seamless, as far as the students were concerned. They had visited the school before it opened, but it wasn’t the same as seeing their name and picture by the place to hang their coat and store their bags. Keeping things familiar ensured a smooth transition from the space the school had used at the New York League for Early Learning's (NYL) Gramercy preschool.

MSA opened in 2010 to support and empower children age 5-12 with global developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, speech and language delays, and neuro-developmental disabilities. The school was created in response to the requests of parents whose children had graduated from NYL preschools and had difficulty finding the same quality, personalized educational experience.

While Nicholas, who attended NYL's Roosevelt Children's Center, enjoyed the new gym, his father, Jonathan Mir, explained that the opening was the culmination of several years of planning. 

"It's amazing to see it unfold," Jonathan said. "This is really the beginning of the school. You'll see how important this school will be for all the families. This demonstrates what it means to be part of the YAI family.”