Catholic Charities Childcare centers are ready to kick off new school year

The summer has come to an end, which can be a sad time for many, but it’s a happy time for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, because that means a new school year is about to begin at the childcare centers.

Catholic Charities currently serves approximately 650 school age children across four counties. There are two preschool programs in Middlesex County and enrollment is free for New Brunswick residents.

Kawanna Anderson is the Center Director for YES Early Learning Center in New Brunswick and has been with Catholic Charities for eight years. She emphasizes that “YES ELC is a place of love, laughter and learning filled with caregivers that know that investing in our little ones makes a big difference.” Anderson lives by her favorite quote, “Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace which is right for each individual child.” She adds, “As educators and caregivers we must enjoy the process of learning and not focus on individual results.” Anderson says the YES Early Learning Center is looking forward to “a healthy, happy and productive school year.”

Cheryl Curry is the Director of the YES Early Learning Center at St. Ladislaus Preschool and has been with Catholic Charities for five years. Curry takes pride in the warm, secure and nurturing learning environment that St. Ladislaus offers for preschool- age children that live in the city of New Brunswick. “Through make believe and dramatic play our children learn more than just basic academic skills,” Curry says. She adds, “They learn cooperation, self-regulation and working memory skills as well. Not all learning occurs within the classroom; we take trips to the theatre, the museums, the library and lots of other places.” Curry emphasizes that “Our St. Ladislaus preschool is a place where fun and learning come together.”

The preschool programs are always accepting donations from the public to help enrich the lives of the children who attend. The YES Early Learning center kindly suggests donations of new or gently used clothing and shoes for children and food gift cards, but most importantly they need continued prayers for their students, their families and their staff. The childcare center at St. Ladislaus would appreciate people donating their time in the form of guest readers, especially during Read Across America which is March 2th– 6th, 2024.

The Catholic Charities childcare centers staff and students participate in many different activities and themed days throughout the year, including “Week of the Young Child,” “Read Across America,” “Social Emotional Learning Day” and “Read Aloud Day,” are just a few examples of how the childcare centers enrich student’s lives. They celebrate many holidays, and have many special guests visit including dentists, police officers, The Cat in the Hat and even Santa Claus. The childcare centers end the year with moving up ceremonies where every class puts on a performance for their families.

Catholic Charities provides free preschool for New Brunswick residents and even though the school year has begun, children can still be enrolled. New Brunswick residents interested in preschool for their child should contact the schools directly.

To contact the YES Early Learning Center, 115 Robeson Blvd, New Brunswick, call 732-249-3881. To contact the St. Ladislaus Childcare Center, 197 Somerset St. New Brunswick, call 732-214-1475.

For further questions regarding enrollment, reach out to billing staff for a specific county. For Warren and Morris Counties, please call 908-454-2074. For Somerset and Middlesex Counties, please call 732-934-2800.

For more information on child care services offered at Catholic Charities visit http://www.ccdom.org/child-care.

Tiffany Workman is Communications Specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Relations.