Charter adoptedChildhood Center gets state approval as school

      The New York State Education Department approved the Childhood Center's charter. They are considered by us to be a school, said Jonathan Burman, spokesman for the department.
      We're certainly very pleased, said Jeannine Rey, acting executive director of the Childhood Center. She said the center and its board were not surprised by the decision, having long maintained that Rosa Lee Young is much more than a day care center.
      Residents fighting the center's proposed move to Wood Avenue in Residence A zone have argued that the non-profit organization provided day care, not education. Forming the RVC Citizens' Association, residents opposed to the center's move appealed the building department superintendent's ruling that the organization met the village's new school definition. The school definition was part of a set of legislation regarding where schools can be developed that was adopted by the village Board of Trustees last year.
      The case is being heard by the Rockville Centre Zoning Board of Appeals. During the first hearing on the matter, lawyers for the RVC Citizens' Association asked an expert witness, who has worked for the state Education Department, if the Childhood Center meets the state requirements. He said no.
      The center plans to prove him wrong when its lawyer gets to present his case Thursday, May 29, at 8 p.m. at the Sandel Senior Center.