Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007 - Bridgehampton Child Care And Recreational Center Celebrates 50 Years

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. An important establishment in the Hamptons, the Center has been giving families a place where their children can grow and learn, and the Center hopes to continue providing these services for years to come.

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center was first established because of the community's concern for the welfare of its children. In 1949, a fire killed the children of working parents who were unable to afford a babysitter to stay with the kids during the day. This became the catalyst for the opening of the Center. It was founded as a way to provide a safe, healthy learning environment for all children. Bonnie Cannon, Executive Director of the Center, noted that the past 50 years have been a "testament to what can be done when a community comes together to make a success." Cannon also said that the Center is a "record of a community that has always worked hard for what they wanted." The community has had to overcome a lot of tragedies to get to where they are today. Today, the Center offers "year-round educational, multi-cultural enrichment and recreational programs to children of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds."

For the most part, the Center offers their services to lower income and immigrant populations. One of their programs is their daycare preschool program, which is run through the federally funded Head Start Program. This program is for children from ages 3 to 5 and is designed by a certified education specialist. These preschoolers will participate in programs that are both educational and creative.

For older children, ages 5 to 12, the Bridgehampton Center provides an after school program. They will attend a homework help program that will enhance their education. Opportunities are also available for field trips to local museums and art programs. Along with culturally enriching programs, there are also recreational ones that kids can get involved in.

Teenagers can get involved in the youth program and play basketball, softball and soccer outside. Indoors, the Center offers programs from college preparation to job readiness. Field trips for this program include trips to recreational events sponsored by the Town of Southampton or the Center.

One of the Center's most popular programs is the six-week summer camp. It is for children between the ages of 5 and 13. Day trips also occur frequently for swimming lessons and cultural events. As another way to help the youth of the community, the Center employs local youths as counselors in training as a way to give them job experience and knowledge of work ethics. An added benefit of the camp is that it is designed to work with the Bridgehampton School District's Summer Enrichment Program. This provides the children with a full day of activities.

The main goal of each of the Center's programs is to expose the children to things they may have never seen before, such as more culturally diverse programs. Many of the programs are also trying to have more influential people become involved as well as having the children attend events that they would have otherwise not been exposed to. Recently, the Center has taken kids to the Scope Hamptons Art Festival where the kids met with professional artists. On August 26, the Center will also bring children to the Nova Ark Project where there will be performances by the Evidence Dance Company, founded by Ronald K. Brown.

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center has recently been awarded money by the Leadership, Effectiveness, Action & Partnership (LEAP) Initiative. Their aim is to "improve the quality of life on Long Island," said Cannon.

For the future, Cannon plans to "enhance and revitalize what is deep rooted in the community." Most importantly, she wants the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center to be a "central hub for diverse programs and issues where [residents] can address diverse concerns" in the community. However, the Center will not just be a hub for Bridgehampton residents, but for Hamptons residents as a whole.