YMCA TO ESTABLISH LENOX CHILDCARE CENTER
YMCA TO ESTABLISH LENOX CHILDCARE CENTER AT MOUNTAIN BROOK SCHOOL SITE IN JUNE
(Pittsfield, April 13, 2017): The Berkshire Family YMCA will establish a new childcare center at the location of the current Mountain Brook School at 6 Holmes Road in Lenox, effective June 19.
Susan Burt, owner and administrator of Mountain Brook School for the last year, has decided to pass the reigns to the Berkshire Family YMCA. Mountain Brook School is in good standing with its license.
“Mountain Brook School opened to provide high quality early childhood education in our community. As we close at the end of this school year, the need for programs continues to grow and change. I believe the Berkshire Family YMCA’s pursuit of additional programing to meet those needs are a positive thing for the children and families of our community and I wish them great success,” said Burt.
Mountain Brook School has notified all 12 families at a parent meeting last week of this upcoming change in leadership.
The center is currently licensed for 15 preschool children ages 2.9 years to pre-kindergarten. The YMCA’s Childcare Director Laurie Vanuni has plans to grow it further.
“We believe there is an opportunity to serve more children in the Lenox area, and we hope to expand the center’s licensure to accommodate children from 15 months to pre-kindergarten which would allow us to serve as many as 25 youth,” explains Vanuni.
The YMCA’s Pittsfield Branch childcare is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care for children 1 month to pre-kindergarten. NAEYC is a national, voluntary accreditation system that sets high standards for early childhood education programs.
Participants at the Lenox childcare site would receive a snack in the morning and afternoon. Full-time and half-time slots would be available, with a two-day minimum requirement. Children enrolled in the Y’s childcare would receive a free youth membership to the Y and be able to take swim lessons or sports at a reduced rate. The YMCA also offers financial scholarships to those who qualify and accept vouchers.
For more information regarding the new YMCA childcare site in Lenox, please contact Childcare Director Laurie Vanuni at 413-499-7650 x145 or lvanuni@bfymca.org.
ABOUT THE BERKSHIRE FAMILY YMCA
The Berkshire Family YMCA has two branches: the Pittsfield branch at 292 North Street in Pittsfield and the Northern Berkshire Branch at 22 Brickyard Court in North Adams. The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change.
