Child care center to open at track
Faith House will benefit backstretch workers at Spa Oval
A child care center that will serve the backstretch community will open this summer.
The 4,300-square-foot center, which will be known as Faith House, will be located on the Oklahoma side of Saratoga Race Course backstretch. It will offer child care and early education programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week to accommodate the schedules of the backstretch workers.
Funded by Michael and Lee Dubb, it’s the sister facility to the Anna House at Belmont Park. “All working parents deserve to know that their children are being cared for in a safe, healthy and enriching environment during the work day,” said Dubb, a thoroughbred owner who donated $750,000 for the project. “We are thrilled to extend this important program to the hardworking families of the Saratoga backstretch community, who provide a vital service to the racing community.”
The anticipated summer 2021 opening coincides with the annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which brings approximately 950 backstretch workers and their families. The opening of the new center is contingent upon licensing approval from the state.
“The backstretch community is the foundation of the racing industry,” said New York Racing Association President and CEO Dave O’rourke. “All of us at NYRA
extend our sincere gratitude to Michael and Lee, and the entire BCCA staff for their continued dedication and commitment to increasing access to affordable and reliable childcare for families on the backstretch. I would also like to thank our facilities team for their work on this project.”
The child care center is not the only new amenity for the backstretch workers this year. A new pavilion, named for the late philanthropist Marylou Whitney, who served meals every Sunday to backstretch workers, is being built next to the backstretch’s recreation center. At a cost of about $250,000, the pavilion was funded by the state and meant to be a monument, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, to the woman who was “the backbone of the Saratoga Race Course.” The footings are in place, said her widower, John Hendrickson.
The soccer field, which was in that location, has been relocated and is being rebuilt with lighting, Hendrickson said. All will be ready by the start of the Saratoga meet.
“Michael Dubb really shined a light on the backstretch and he’s putting his money where his mouth is,” Hendrickson said. “We are getting things done.”
Hendrickson, who is funding a new health care facility at the backstretch, anticipates that will go up next year.