Bridgewater Day Care Centre celebrating 50 years of serving community
It is fitting that the lovable and broadly appealing Sesame Street TV series and the Bridgewater Day Care Centre are both celebrating 50-year anniversaries this year.
The boys and girls who were cared for by the attentive workers in the early days of the day care centre in Bridgewater United Church spent much of their formative years at home laughing and learning from the antics of Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and their fuzzy friends.
The Hopkins twins, Graham and Gordon, were among the first kids to attend the day care centre.
Graham, still a Bridgewater resident, doesn’t remember much of what occurred at the centre 50 years ago, but he does recall enjoying Sesame Street – and steadfastly refusing to drink tomato juice.
“Yes, that was the biggest thing I remember, not liking the tomato juice, and I still don’t. Some of the friends I made during my time there are still around town, and one of the boys remains a close friend today,” said Graham, whose daughter also attended the day care centre.
“I hope what I learned there helped to shape my life. The fact I was able to socialize with other kids at an early age was helpful. The centre is a great asset to the town,” he added.
Graham has worked for the Town of Bridgewater for 25 years and is currently the town’s inspection and facilities manager. Gordon is a project inspector for the provincial government.
A non-profit child-care facility licensed for 70 children, the Bridgewater Day Care Centre provides care to children aged four months to 10 years. According to its website profile, the centre “provides quality, affordable early childhood education through a safe, caring and challenging environment.”
Bridgewater Day Care Centre executive director Denise Mcauley describes the programs as play-based, where activities are set up for children to initiate on their own.
“We have a large gymnasium and our playground is like an outdoor classroom, and we have a wooded area for play,” she said.
On a typical day, the children experience art, music, literature, science and physical activities, including group walks to fun locations such as the duck pond, library, park and skating at the LCLC.
“Some of our children visit Hillside Pines and interact with the seniors. It’s a real positive experience for the children and the residents,” said Mcauley, who directs 21 staff and two volunteers.
Mcauley said a 50th anniversary open house will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 3, the actual date the centre opened its doors for the first time a half century ago.
“The open house will be an opportunity to celebrate with the public at large. We will have classroom displays, people from the past will have a chance to reminisce with each other, and some of the former employees will place their recollection photos on the wall. There will also be face painting, balloon animals and a concert from
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.,” said Mcauley, who added that more activities will be held at various times during the balance of this 50th anniversary year.
“Past students who have come back to visit as adults have looked at our menu and remarked, ‘Oh, you still serve corn chowder for lunch. I loved that when I came here,’ or ‘you still have bicycles in the gym.’ I expect we will hear similar remarks at the open house,” she said.
Mcauley said “graduates” through the years have achieved a measure of success in life, becoming teachers, prominent sports figures, and business leaders in the banking, accounting and legal fields.