FAITH’S HOUSE
Officials unveil child care center for children of Saratoga Race Course’s backstretch community
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A newly constructed child care center is ready to welcome the children of the backstretch community this summer at Saratoga Race Course.
The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) offered a preview of this new facility, called Faith’s House, to media and local officials at a press conference on Wednesday.
Located on the Oklahoma Training Track side of the backstretch, the new 4,300-square-foot center, designed to accommodate as many as 35 kids, will provide child care and early education programs for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children.
The Saratoga Springs facility will complement BCCA’s sister child care center Anna House, which serves families of the Belmont Park backstretch. More than 1,000 students have participated in Anna House’s programs since it started in 2003.
The anticipated summer 2021 opening of Faith’s House coincides with the annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which brings approximately 950 backstretch workers and their families to the Spa.
Funded by Michael and Lee Dubb, the child care center is named in honor of Faith Dubb, mother of BCCA founder and board chairman Michael Dubb.
Dubb explained how the association identified the need for a child care center
at Saratoga Race Course. “We always wanted to be able to have a place, [in the] summertime, where the children could grow, they could thrive, their parents could feel good,” he said at Wednesday’s event, proudly announcing that this vision has become a reality.
BCCA president Libby Imperio thanked the Dubb family. “It’s been a vision of all of ours, of the board of directors for the last 10 years, to build this facility, and with their generosity, that dream has come true today,” she said.
Looking ahead, Imperio predicts that, aside from the track’s Winner’s Circle, Faith’s House will soon become “the happiest place in Saratoga.”
New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O’Rourke also expressed his appreciation to all involved with the project. “Faith’s House will serve as a unique niche in our community by providing working families on the backstretch with affordable and reliable access to child care on a schedule that meets their needs,” he said. “On behalf of NYRA, our congratulations to the entire BCCA team on this meaningful addition to the backstretch. It truly serves as a foundation for lives.”
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner congratulated BCCA and the Dubbs on the center’s opening in a press release. “The backstretch workers who are integral to the sport of racing have long needed the child care services and support that will be provided by Faith’s House so that their families can join them in Saratoga for the summer meet,” she said.
Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly said in the release, “The past year has informed us more than ever of the importance of quality child care for working families in our community. This new center will undoubtedly be an outstanding addition to Saratoga Race Course and to our city. We are thrilled to welcome Faith’s House to Saratoga Springs and thank Michael and Lee, the BCCA and NYRA for making this project possible.”
The Belmont Child Care Association works to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the thoroughbred racing backstretch areas of Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and now Saratoga Race Course.
Faith’s House, to be operated by child care organization Bright Horizons, will serve the children of Saratoga Race Course backstretch workers. The center will be open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of backstretch workers and horsemen.
“Bright Horizons has had a long withstanding partnership with Belmont Child Care Association,” said regional manager of operations Jennifer Gabriele. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership in Saratoga Springs, and look forward to helping BCCA provide the backstretch community with high-quality child care and early education for their children.”
More information about Faith’s House, including details on registration and enrollment, can be obtained by contacting BCCA executive director Joanne K. Adams at (516) 488-2103 or jadams@belmontchildcare.org.