December 2019
Dear Friends and Families of the CCC,
Here we are again at the end of another year. This is not only the end of 2019 but remarkably also the end of another decade. In each recent decade, the Country Childrens Center has celebrated some amazing milestones.
In 1990, Governor Mario Cuomo named the 1990’s as the “Decade of the Child”. While not everyone may have embraced that idea, the CCC took that idea and ran with it and has been making each decade since then the decade of the child as well. In the 90’s the CCC opened its flagship program in Katonah, the “Farm”, giving us the opportunity to be one of the very first programs in Westchester to offer infant/ toddler care. We also opened 3 new afterschool programs to meet a growing need for school aged children.
We also added a mildly sick center and back up program at the “White House” and opened our first Inclusion preschool program there. Lastly in 1999, we opened the program at Bedford Hills where 30 more children could be cared for daily.
Next, not to be outdone, the new millennium was marked by the opening of our Watson program which remains the only onsite childcare program for IBM nationally. We also expanded our summer Camp with our science barn, gardens, nature trails and sport court. Then to finish off the decade, we opened the program we fondly call “Kitchawan Barns” in Yorktown.
The next decade, the 2010’s, was marked with the addition of 3 new before and after school programs in the Bedford Central District. We also added a before and after school program at our Kitchawan site for Yorktown students. Lastly, in 2019 we opened our newest addition with our beautiful site at the Oakridge Commons Shopping Center in South Salem licensed for 70 additional CCC children.
Now here we are again heading into a new decade. How will the CCC grow and thrive in the next 10 years? The new decade begins with the year 2020. It is a well named year as our vision for the future of the Center could not be clearer. That vision is to continue our long history of serving the needs of the working families in our community by providing the highest level of quality care and early education possible to their children on a daily and year round basis.
The precious children we have cared for over these many years are testaments to the success of our programs. Many of them return to the CCC to work for us, volunteer, bring their own children and even to serve on our Board. Our CCC family is vast and remains committed to our mission.
Our continuity is maintained through the continued support of those in our community who have been beneficiaries of all of our good work together with others who have been faithful partners in this incredible journey.
As we head into 2020, please consider a donation to the CCC as we clearly and with 20/20 vision continue to support working families and care for the amazing wonderful children we meet in every decade.
Remember, the CCC is a 501c.3 IRS designated agency in both charitable and educational categories. As such your donation is tax deductible and may also qualify for matching funds through your employer. You may return the enclosed form with your donation or go to our website www.countrychildrenscenter.org and click on “donate” on the homepage.
Thank you again for your continued support.
Happy New Year!
Polly
