Girl Scouts’ DreamLab in Paramus set for June debut

The basics:

• Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey to open nation’s largest DreamLab in Paramus in June
• 8,500-square-foot hub focused on STEM and workforce skills
• Features labs, podcast studio, makerspace and community areas
• Funded through property sales and strategic investment plan

After nearly 50 years in the space, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey is dreaming big and redeveloping its longtime Paramus office building into a hub for girls, workforce development and community engagement. GSNNJ plans to reopen at 300 Forest Ave. in June. The multiuse experience space in Bergen County will introduce the largest Girl Scouts DreamLab, so far, in the U.S.

The site marks the 12th center nationwide, part of a licensed Girl Scouts USA concept for experiential learning spaces. “We’ve been a staple in the community forever. … And when we were thinking about our strategic plan and, really, what we need to do for the next generation of girls, we thought about making this significant investment in ourselves,” GSNNJ President and CEO Sandra Kenoff told NJBIZ during a recent visit to the new space. “So that we could make sure that we’re providing the tools and resources for girls in northern New Jersey and the surrounding area to have experiences that help inspire their curiosity, open their eyes to possibilities, and really have a sense of what’s possible in the future.”

Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey serves girls ages 5–18 in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and northern Warren counties. Its ranks include more than 19,000 girls and over 10,000 adult members.

‘One-of-a-kind space’

According to the organization’s 2023–24 impact report, GSNNJ is the 10th-largest council nationally by member count. It has the second-highest market share in the U.S. (12%). Across in-person programming, the organization served 4,834 Girls Scouts, it said.

The strategic decision to invest in the DreamLab concept in North Jersey emerged from a 2023 property master plan. To achieve and fund its goal “of constructing this one-of-a-kind space,” GSNNJ decided to sell two underused properties, Camp Glen Spey in New York and the Randolph Service Center in Randolph. The council said proceeds would fund construction of the DreamLab and enhancements to its two remaining camp properties, Jockey Hollow in Morristown and Lake Rickabear in Kinnelon.

When it announced the Forest Avenue property would house the new space, GSNNJ highlighted its longstanding presence and accessible location. The newest Girl Scout DreamLab will include areas for scientific experimentation, engineering, podcasting, media production, creative arts and more. Melissa Sullivan will serve as the new head of DreamLab operations.

“We’re committed to creating a future where every Girl Scout has access to unparalleled resources, unforgettable experiences, and boundless opportunities to become the leaders of tomorrow,” GSNNJ’s Kenoff said when the plans were announced.

Come up to the lab

Speaking at the new DreamLab, Kenoff, who joined GSNNJ in 2022 explained that while all have key features, the largest prototype was 5,000 square feet. “And we’re in a 12,500-square-foot building.”

As a result, the Forest Avenue experience space will cover about 8,500 square feet. Approximately 3,500 square feet is dedicated to a separate and modern, open-concept workspace for the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey team. The building also features a newly expanded retail shop as well as storage.

Girl Scouts of USA first rolled out the licensed concept in Colorado in March 2023. The DreamLab builds upon a range of national property models including camps, offices and other programmatic facilities, such as STEM centers. The national group developed three concepts for the Girl Scout DreamLab across various sizes, layouts and functions to fit the varying needs of its 111 councils. All spaces embody the four pillars of the Girl Scout experience: STEM, Entrepreneurship, the Outdoors and Life Skills.

Different set-ups

New Jersey got its first hands-on experience with the concept in September 2023, when the Girls Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey opened its 3,500-square-foot hub DreamLab at The Shoppes at North Brunswick. The space hosts troop meetings, on-demand badgework, overnight stays and personalized bridging ceremonies (marking the transition from one level of Girl Scouting to the next), according to GSCSNJ.

Existing examples, including in Colorado and Middlesex County, occupy space at retail locations. The setting provides a different feeling, with built-in foot traffic but less control over space compared with GSNNJ’s updated office building in Bergen County.

In Paramus, the council was “grandmothered in,” Kenoff’s coining, to a larger footprint, allowing more flexibility and more creativity with how the DreamLab components came to life.

The exterior of the building also features new signage and a refreshed facade to increase visibility. A series of vertical bars in bold colors complement the fresh white frontage. “And what’s already happening, and I can see on social media, is people are driving by and they’re getting excited … I think it says something about Girl Scouts just from the road,” Kenoff said.

Scout insights

Girls Scouts USA emphasizes the DreamLab as an accessible space to engage with and experience Girl Scouting. According to the organization’s 2025 Annual Report, that contact “often leads to ongoing participation.”

For GSNNJ, the project centers on “the voice of the girl” to establish a dynamic, community enhancing space for introduction, collaboration, exploration and encouragement. To help keep its core audience as the focus of its work, GSNNJ pursued a user-informed design by establishing an in-house advisory team. As Kenoff explains it, the insights from three Girl Scouts, who also sit on the organization’s board of directors, were invaluable. A scout also guided efforts to establish a sensory room within the redesign. That therapeutic space draws upon a larger desire to help address the current youth mental health crisis and support members and guests with different sensory processing disorders.

GSNNJ tried to learn from sister councils about what’s worked at their locations. An early prototype featured wall-to-wall carpeting. But, “what happens when you do slime and chemistry?”

Learning from others

There are also lessons from the operations end that help broadcast different opportunities at the DreamLab. Kenoff pointed to the media room/podcast studio, which all DreamLabs have. The glass-enclosed space is just bigger in Paramus. “In addition to doing podcasts and broadcasts … we’re learning from other councils how they’re using it for birthday parties — everybody does a message for the birthday girl, or the birthday boy or whoever,” she said.

A collaborative makerspace inspired area will offer 3D printers, drones, microscopes, robotics and more, according to Kenoff. Banquettes provide concentration spaces for small gatherings, tutoring, homework, and more. A STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room finds multiple uses as an art lab, teaching kitchen and coding center.

Kenoff describes the design ethos as intentional flexibility. “Everything should look and feel like the program you’re here for. So, we’re not going to have stacked chairs in the corner and all the things,” she said. The goal is to ensure longevity as well as utilization across various users. The mindset even carries over into the conference room, which features a modular table.

‘A hub for sisterhood’

The space also includes a multipurpose room, with an attached catering kitchen. Kenoff envisions TED-style talks, performing arts, yoga classes, group training exercises and more. With capacity for about 70 people, it can accommodate multiple activities, or even immersive exercises.

“I think about partnering with lots of different businesses to kind of set up a little village,” Kenoff explained. She led with an example of Financial Literacy month in April. Throughout the room, girls could engage depending on where they are on their own financial journey, offering an experiential learning carnival. The format is adaptable across subjects, such as film, women’s history, Black history, electronics, and so on, according to Kenoff.

That adaptability opens the doors to more collaboration with industry. “For us … we’re thinking strategically about our mission, which is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place,” Kenoff said. “It’s that ‘make the world a better place.’ … [H]ow do we get this next generation ready to be contributing members of our communities? … whether that’s leading from an executive seat in business or working in trades.” The goal is to offer exposure to a range of fields, experiences and mentors. The DreamLab offers a space for those introductions.

While adult volunteers play a significant role, Kenoff highlighted the benefits of connecting girls to professional mentors. “We have so much opportunity,” she said. “And … some really wonderful relationships with corporations, health care organizations.”

It is invaluable, “When we partner with them … they’re learning from somebody who’s an engineer in real life; and they’re learning from somebody who works with energy.” Like during a recent GSNNJ program with Whippany-based Suburban Propane. “We want to be a resource,” Kenoff said. “I like to call the Girl Scouts DreamLab a hub for sisterhood.” The space can also bring awareness to industries where women typically have had less visibility, like manufacturing and construction.

‘Invest in girls, change the world’

And it helps girls think outside the (cookie) box, beyond programs already baked into the Girl Scouts’ core.

While the (recently passed) Girl Scout cookie program is perhaps the best example of the Entrepreneurship pillar in practice, GSNNJ is looking to expand that model with partners. It seeks to help develop concrete business skills and social qualities for success, like networking, at the DreamLab.

“Why can’t girls make a product on the 3D printer and then sell it?” for example. “We have a partner, Wendy Shen, who is the CEO of Flomo Nygala [Corp.],” Kenoff explained. Based in Carlstadt, the gift and accessories company was recognized as a 2025 NJBIZ Empowering Women honoree. The program recognizes New Jersey organizations that work to support and promote women in the workplace and community. Shen (2013), like Kenoff (2025) is also an NJBIZ Women in Business award recipient.

“She’s a global entrepreneur,” Kenoff went on. “And what she was talking about in making an investment in our space is that she wants to give girls an opportunity to kind of incorporate some of the things that she does. … ‘Why can’t we do a contest and girls can design a tote bag? But then let’s figure out like, how do we make that? How do we make it sustainable?’ So, there’s real entrepreneurship lessons from some of those experiences.”

She continued, “We know that the Girl Scout DreamLab and partnerships with New Jersey businesses can help shape the future economy of New Jersey. Can help shape the future workforce. We’re being very thoughtful about the fact that, as we’re looking to engage for partnership and support of the work that we do. We are thinking about – and the line I use all the time is ‘Invest in girls, change the world.’ … in education, equity, workforce development and – really – the future talent.”

According to the Girls Scouts of New Jersey, 71% of New Jersey members participated in entrepreneurship programs in 2024. In the next five to 15 years, Kenoff noted, “these girls will be working in our communities, at these companies, in our businesses.”

The DreamLab will offer Girl Scout members free activities, along with fee-based options. GSNNJ, and Kenoff, are vocal about the financial assistance available through and to participate with the organization. “It’s really important to know that because you’re a member of Girl Scouts, you will have access to the tools,” she said.

Digging into the data

New Jersey’s four sister Girl Scout councils released The New Jersey Girl Report in June 2025. Collectively, the groups serve more than 55,000 girls across every ZIP Code in New Jersey.

The deep dive assesses the physical health, life readiness, emotional wellness and social wellbeing of New Jersey girls. It highlights both challenges and opportunities across four focus areas: Physical Health; Life Readiness: Academics and Economics; Emotional Wellness; Social Wellbeing.

Kenoff said the analysis has “helped inform a lot of the decisions about the types of programs that we need to offer and the types of partners that we need to have in order to bring them to life.”

More than half of high school girls in New Jersey (and 11% more than boys) report showing signs of depression, the report found. And though girls show more promising academic success, fewer pursue STEM studies in higher education.

The NJ Girl report found that 63% of Girl Scout teens who do STEM want to have a career in the field, compared with 9% of non-Girl Scouts.

Kenoff says the data show “we have a lot of opportunity to better connect girls at different ages and stages to different opportunities career-wise.” To close the STEM gap, the paper promotes early intervention, group experiences and variety — all of which the DreamLab can deliver, and outside of an academic setting.

Getting down to business

The report also shows women in New Jersey are less likely to pursue business degrees versus their male counterparts: Only 18% of young women opted for the study; for young men, the figure is 1 in 4.

Kenoff said her organization envisions the space as a community resource. Because the DreamLab’s core, Girl Scout audience is typically in school five days a week, it’s able to host field trips, community programming and rentals. Kenoff says the DreamLab will open seven days a week. She anticipates a mix of paid and complementary rentals.

She wants adults to feel connected to the space, as well — whether they are GSNNJ volunteers, or members of the larger Bergen County and North Jersey community. The DreamLab anticipates offering training or hosting cultural arts events and even book clubs.

“We can do lots of things with our adults, especially because their daughters may be here and they want to hang out and build their own community,” Kenoff explained. She circled back to the experience with Suburban Propane, noting the company provided a women in trucking experience for Girl Scout adults, too, so they could learn more about the career possibilities.

Multiple uses

The DreamLab is fully tech-enabled, supporting programming, events and flexible use. “So, this could be for a troop meeting, it could be for our board meetings,” or, she added, “it could be for the Paramus Rotary Club.”

“I want this to be a hub for sisterhood, but Girl Scouts is a global sisterhood, and I think we have an opportunity to tap into that differently,” Kenoff said. “And so, when we think about how they connect in their neighborhood and their community, we think about some of the transitions they go through in life when you go from elementary school to middle school, now they met all these new people.

“This is a space where they can connect based on their interests with other girls their age from other parts of the region, and that’s great.”

Dreaming … in the real world

Looking ahead, Kenoff said she’d love to add transportation both to and from the DreamLab. She acknowledged it’s expensive, and that partners can lighten the load.

GSNNJ and BASF collaborated on an initiative to bring girls from the council’s under-resourced communities to the Spark Lab at the Morris Museum, which included providing a bus. Kenoff added, “[W]e would be able to … bring girls from schools, whether it’s right here or going out further, to bring them to have experiences and in a safe and trusted environment” at the DreamLab. GSNNJ trips from the hub could also offer girls experience for workforce development with site visits, she said. “I just think it can be a component of everything we do.”

I think there’s an opportunity for us to better showcase what Girl Scouts can do for girls.
– Sandra Kenoff, president and CEO, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey

Despite its name, the DreamLab is designed to operate in the real world, and to improve it. Based upon the Girl Scouts track record so far, the physical space seems poised to up the ante.

“I think there’s an opportunity for us to better showcase what Girl Scouts can do for girls. We have a great stereotypical association of cookies, crafts and camp, and … we have so many other things that we do.

“And in building girls of courage, confidence, and character, we have to make sure that we’re letting the community know that we do everything …”