By Mike Caputo
"Hey, you're from the Child Care Center," said the clerk, who then hands over sodas to Robinson.
The generosity of the local store wasn't a surprise to Robinson. In fact, it's become commonplace. Whenever the Child Care Center is in need of something, a community member steps up to help, Robinson said.
"In this community, [people] don't ask 'What can I get from it?" Robinson said. "They ask, 'What can I give to it.'"
The Five Towns Child Care Center celebrated 30 years of service and philanthropy, honoring key donors and supporters who have has a significant impact on the non-profit organization that has served the area for decades. Major sponsors honored on that day were Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach), the National Council of Jewish Women and the Five Towns Community Chest.
Help from the community goes much further back in time than 30 years, beginning about 70 years ago during World War II.
During that period, Five Towns fathers went to fight for America in World War II, placing numerous mothers in a difficult situation: they had to go to work, but needed their children to be supervised during the day. The Child Care Center was established as a place for mothers to bring their children while they worked during the day. At first, the Center was meant to be a temporary solution for these mothers.
An original founder, Gertrude Rieur, who was posthumously honored at the May 20 celebration, and a group of philanthropic women recognized the importance of the center and set out to save it from closing. These women kept the center's heart beating, trudging door-to-door throughout the communities and requesting for donations of only $1. Those dollars added up, as the Center still stands today.
In its infancy, the Center was composed of only 15 children and two supervising adults in a single room. According to Robinson, the supervising adults from the early days of the Center primary served as custodial caretakers. It was not until Bernice Levin, a director for 30 years, took over the Center in the 1970s, and transformed it into what it is today.
The Center has evolved into a multi-faceted learning hub for 54 children and more than 20 staff and volunteer supervisors. Robinson preaches a coming-of-age education style that utilizes nature and the senses to develop creativity, problem-solving abilities and a sense of inquiry.
The Center utilizes the High/Scope curriculum, which Robinson explained is a way to view children as active learners, not sponges. Robinson used the example of an apple: a child learns more by acting touching and tasting the apple instead of looking at a picture of an apple, she said.
As the children played outside on the recently constructed Gertrude Rieur Garden Playground, Robinson talked about just how important it is.
"Children don't even have grass anymore," Robinson said while standing on a small grassy hill on the new playground, which was opened in September 2006 after numerous contributions and years of planning. "Here, they have the joy of looking at the world from a new perspective."
The Peter J. DeSibio Five Towns Child Care Center, named after one of the many important community pioneers of the organization, is located on 112 Wahl Avenue in Inwood. For more information on the Child Care Center, call (516) 239-4660.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or
(516) 569-4000 ext. 210
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