Childcare center holds opening celebration

TICONDEROGA | Interim Superintendent of Schools Cynthia Ford-Johnston had noticed a problem. Sylvamo Mill Manager Tim Stocker was experiencing the same problem. Both were seeing their respective places of employment hemorrhaging staff due to lack of childcare in the area. Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance (TRA) made a promise to the community- and made it their mission- to bring more childcare to town and alleviate the childcare desert epidemic. On Friday, Aug. 2, the opening celebration of the Ticonderoga Community Early Learning Center operated by the Silver Bay YMCA saw that promise officially delivered. The center, located in the former St. Mary's School at 64 Amherst Avenue, will provide daycare for 50 area children up to the age of four. According to Donna Wotton, TRA's Executive Director who was a crusader for the cause, Silver Bay YMCA is the largest childcare and youth development provider in the world and will bring all of their expertise and full resources to the early learning center. "This is not just a childcare center, this is a learning center," Wotton noted. "At every age, the teachers are developing these little minds and building synapses and preparing our kids for a learning environment at school so that children who attend here will be eager to learn and prepared to enter pre-K and Kindergarten. We know that great childcare yields much better outcomes for students in school and lifelong results." Guest speakers in attendance for the ceremony were Chris Saunders, Federal Co-Chair of the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), Mark Pattison (Governor Hochul's Alternate to the NBRC), Jonathan Carman, District Director for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Alison Webbinaro, Regional Representative for Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Dan Stec, Assemblyman Matt Simpson, and Silver Bay YMCA CEO Peter Doliber. "This is a great day for childcare and a great day for the Ticonderoga community," said New York State Sen. Dan Stec, adding that recent statistics support the claim that the North Country is in a childcare desert crisis, with demand for childcare need versus available spaces is six to one in Upstate New York. "Childcare is not just important for the children themselves or even the parents- it is a piece to the larger puzzle of what makes an area work, what makes a community work, and the economy work. You can't have employees if you don't have childcare." Wotton credited her Ti-Alliance team for being small but mighty, having worked since early 2022 on the Ticonderoga Community Childcare Project. The early learning center was made possible thanks to corporate donors, grant funding, and generous private donations from members of the community. "This is huge- not just for Ticonderoga," observed Jonathan Carman. "This is an example of what happens when the community puts its minds together and says this is important and we are going to focus on. It really puts it out there for other communities dealing with the same issue." The general sentiment among other speakers was that TRA has blazed a trail, the Ticonderoga childcare center expected to have a ripple effect and serve as a model for other communities on how to get their own centers up and running. The childcare industry is notorious for being one of the most underpaid positions- there is little room for professional development, for wages above minimum due to the system being designed to maximize quality care and minimize cost. "That is great for the family, but that isn't workable for childcare business owners or their employees," Wotton noted. "Silver Bay YMCA and Ti-Alliance think that we can do better; everyone that works at this center will be paid a living wage with full medical and vacation and retirement benefits." The Ticonderoga Community Early Learning Center is anticipating an early September opening.

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Childcare center holds opening celebration

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