Guilford Day Care Center Receives State Grant for 2nd Floor Play Area

As any parent of small children will tell you, a long rainy weekend is tough on the little tykes who want to run and play outside to expend a lot of built-up energy. Mom and dad would give anything to see the sun shine on these days, as well.

Thanks to a state grant, all of the kids at the Guilford Center for Children day care center will have a large, enclosed, and notably dry play space to scamper to their hearts' content.

"We [try to] go outside to play all year long," said director Pam Orton, who explained that while her goal is daily outdoor activity, she needs to meet guidelines regarding heat and cold, not to mention cancelling during days of thunder and lightning.

As she explained, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, by which the day care center is accredited, sets guidelines for outdoor play time during extreme heat or cold temperatures. If the heat index is higher than 90 degrees or the wind chill is at or lower than 15 degrees, the kids and teachers stay inside. Pouring rain dictates inside play, as well.

Recently, the day care center, which moved June 21 from Park Street to its newly renovated facility at Woodruff Farm at 47 Stone House Lane, received a $50,000 state grant to finish the upstairs of the two-barn building. State Senator Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) and State Representative Patricia Widlitz (D-Guilford) worked on securing the grant. Meyer faces Durham Republican challenger Linda Davenport in the November election; Widlitz will face Guilford Republican Cindy Cartier.

"Good quality and affordable day care has become a necessity today with so many two-parent working families, so I'm pleased to have helped secure state funds to complete the second floor of this facility," Meyer said. "The Guilford Center not only has a marvelous educational component, but it has a wonderful physical education component as well and this money will help kids stay active in cold or inclement weather."

The funds will be used to finish the expansive second-floor space of the building, allowing for a large play space, art space, kids' cooking kitchen, office space, and a teachers' room, said Orton. The space is ready for flooring, cabinet work, doors, paint, and fire stairs.

"If we have a speaker or special presentation, we can all congregate in this large space," said Orton.

In 2006, the Board of Selectmen approved a 50-year lease for the non-profit center on the old Woodruff Farm site. The town purchased the 9-acre farm property in 2003. It is part of the Whitfield Street Historic District and the National Register District.

"Being able to complete this second floor will really enhance the educational experience for these children and will give their parents the peace of mind that their kids are in a first-rate facility with year-round activities," Widlitz said. "I know how important good day care is and I'm happy to help the Guilford Center serve families in our area."

At the end of 2008, the day care center broke ground at the farm property located across the street from the Henry Whitfield State Museum. The overall project involved renovating two existing barns on 1.5 acres with a finished project totaling 11,000 square feet. The site includes an outdoor play area with shade. Architects for the project were Gray Organschi of New Haven; the general contractor is Bismark Construction Company.

The move to a new location also increased the number of children attending the center from 30 to 45. Orton expects that when an additional classroom opens this fall, she can enroll a total of 60 children.

"We are absolutely thrilled and so happy for everything that Senator Meyer and Representative Widlitz have done for us," said Guilford Center for Children Board Member Beth Brause. "It would have taken us years in this economy to raise the funds that they helped secure. They were by our side throughout this entire project and were extremely supportive and accessible."

Brause also said that the day care center has always been a resource for working parents, many of whom would suffer without an affordable avenue of supervised care for their child. Fees to the center are calculated on a sliding pay scale based on the parents' income. The center is one of few day care providers along the shoreline that institutes such a fee structure.

Additional funding for the project was made possible by Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority, which provided a $2 million loan. Grants in the form of gifts came from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program ($400,000), the Community Fund for Greater New Haven ($40,000), The Guilford Foundation ($25,000 for art space), Guilford Savings Bank ($5,000 for furnishings), and the New Alliance Foundation ($5,000).