Spring 2008 Newsletter Page 1

Text Box: How the Child Center is Dealing with the Changing Population…
Our New Infant & Toddler Program by Mary Kay Elwell, President

Summer is Near, Need to Keep a Young One Busy?

Text Box: There has been a significant amount of talk in the region lately concerning the changing demographics, particularly as they relate to children. These shifts have direct implications for the Cornwall Child Center, and the board has been working steadily on dealing with this issue. Over the past few years, we have watched the use of the Center for after school care dwindle, with the exception of our Expressions program, which has been well received. However, this decline in use has forced us to examine the needs for early childhood education and daycare in the community. Last fall the Board of Directors held a strategic planning session for which we hired a professional consultant and included community members not directly linked with the Center. The outcome of this session and follow up meetings, combined with a survey that was conducted, was the decision to implement an Infant and Toddler program at the Cornwall Child Center. The changes to the facility and start up costs are being funded by a matching grant from the Berkshire Taconic specifically designed to assist daycares in the region with meeting their long term goals. Our summer program will be shifted slightly this year to allow time for the changes to the facility before the program opens next fall. Our proposed facility changes are still pending Zoning and the Selectmen’s approval. It is our hope that the thorough planning that is taking place will make for a smooth transition into this exciting new program. We will continue to offer our nursery school program and afterschool care for families as we always have. Having our NAEYC Accreditation solidly in place assures the community that we provide the best possible care and learning experiences for children, even the littlest ones who will be entering our door next September. We are very excited about this endeavor, and I hope that you will support us in our effort.

Text Box: You Are Invited ….
“Around the World” at the
17th Annual Cornwall Child Center Auction
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, 5:30 p.m. Torrington Country Club, Goshen Visit our website to view the auction catalog and information about attending!
www.cornwallchildcenter.org

News from the Center

We have just the answer! Our popular Summer Enrichment Program will begin June 23rd thru July 10th with three, one-week programs running Monday thru Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 1 PM. Children ages three to six are welcome. This year’s program will be led by Pam Brehm, Danielle Giulian, Rebecca Harrington and Jen Nestler. This year’s theme will be “Environmental Explorers”. Please contact us for more information.

Spring 2008