Stony Brook Child Care Services Steps Up to Assist Frontline Workers

When New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the New York State on PAUSE executive order, providing guidelines on which businesses could remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, child care was deemed an essential service. Ensuring support for the families of frontline workers was a critical goal.

Although child care centers were not required to remain open, Stony Brook Child Care Services (SBCC) rose to the occasion in response to a special request from the Office of the Governor.

To provide essential services during the pandemic, a business must comply with Department of Health guidance and directives for maintaining a clean and safe work environment. Before it could accept children during the pandemic, SBCC closed for two days for a deep cleaning then reopened to currently enrolled families with essential workers. 

SBCC provides more than child care services as such, Mendelsohn said.  “During this pandemic crisis, SBCC teachers offer parents and their children a sense of safety, learning, support, and a touch of comfort.”  

It is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), an organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through the age of eight, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. SBCC earned NAEYC accreditation in 1990 and recently was accredited for another five-year term.

Even parents who are not using SBCC at this time are grateful to know it’s there in the event of changing circumstances.

Read the full article: Caring Through the Crisis