Farmington Education Center To Transform Youths Into 'Spy Kids'

FARMINGTON, CT — When James Bond was in middle school, he might have attended an afterschool education center like the one recently approved in Farmington.

This new, unique operation will soon open in Farmington after the local zoning board said "yes" last week to plans for a spy-themed educational center for youngsters.

Called it a modern-day version of "Spy Kids."

The Farmington Plan and Zoning Commission, Dec. 8, unanimously approved a site plan modification for the owners of Spy Farm LLC to operate a "spy-theme science, technology, engineering, math, and physical education" facility at 9 Eastview Drive.

The new education center, which is supplementary to students' schools, will occupy space in the building that is home to Nutmeg TV, the local public access television station.

Earlier this year, Nutmeg TV put its building on the market, seeking new uses for the space and to generate some revenue for the nonprofit.

Owner and Farmington resident Paul Battista, who purchased the building along with his family in recent months, presented the application for Spy Farm to the PZC last week.

According to Battista, the goal of Spy Farm isn't to teach kids to go on secret missions, topple governments, or defend the nation as budding OO7's.

It is, simply, to build "student self-confidence, offering classes for mastering electronics, conflict avoidance, self-defense classes, and experience with state-of-the-art simulators," Battista said.

Essentially, Spy Farm mixes traditional supplemental STEM education programming with a physical activity component that also includes simulator work (ie, flight simulators).

According to Battista, Spy Farm could eventually operate after school hours from 5 to 9 p.m. on weeknights, Monday to Friday.

To start, however, Battista said he envisioned classes being a couple of days a week and, depending on how it goes, it could expand to the full five days a week.

For now, he said, there will be no weekend classes or summer camps anticipated at this time.

Battista said he envisions two classes of eight middle-school-aged students nightly, with each session taking place from six to eight weeks.

He explained that classes would be one-hour long, with 30 minutes dedicated to "cognitive" work and 30 minutes of physical activity.

Parents could drop their children off for classes or, if they choose, wait in a designated waiting area.

Battista said that experience coaching youth soccer showed him that more could be done to improve youths' self-esteem.

"Recently, we coached a soccer team in Farmington, and that led to the inspiration for this project here," he said.

"In the coaching process, we recognized how much children's activities affect children's self-confidence," Battista continued.

"And we saw students who were amazing at soccer, but had low self-confidence, and some students who were not very good at soccer who had good self-confidence. It didn't really equate to just skill set."

With a background in security and his coaching experience, it prompted him to try and come up with a way to improve childrens' self-confidence.

So, for the past six months, Battista said he and his family have been working on this project, work that included acquiring the building.

Depending on how things go, he might expand the facility's offerings to kids beyond middle school, perhaps starting as low as elementary school age.

"Hopefully, we can have students really enjoy this long term," Battista said.

PZC members had some minor questions about the business and how it would operate, generally supporting the initiative. They easily approved the site plan modification.

Said Farmington PZC alternate Michael Tucci, who was seated for an absent member, "I just think its an awesome idea, a great presentation."

He said "learning through play" is an "awesome idea for kids."

For the minutes of the Dec. 8 Farmington Plan & Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

For more information on Spy Farm, click on this link.

From Feb. 12: 'Prominent Media Nonprofit Selling Its Farmington Building'