Daycare center has a new home

Kenwood Child Development Center in Albany has been saved -- by becoming Kenwood Child Development Center in Rensselaer.

The Evangelist last wrote about the 35-year-old daycare program in May, when its staff learned that the program was about to lose its leased space on the campus of the Convent of the Sacred Heart.

Kenwood was faced with the decision to move or close; and while it had found a possible home at the former St. John's School in Rensselaer, the building needed $65,000 in renovations to comply with New York State daycare regulations.

Resurrection

The situation seemed desperate, but Kenwood held a rally and put out a call for donations -- and the money poured in. New executive director Donna Shelton joined the staff just in time to receive a $52,000 grant from the Wright Family Foundation.

A child care veteran, Ms. Shelton told The Evangelist that she's seen too many programs close to want to see Kenwood, recently named a Child Care Program of Excellence, disappear. She was thrilled that the major grant and several smaller ones, combined with private and community donations, made it possible to save Kenwood.

"Everything's been falling into place," she stated.

New look

Since then, St. John's School in Rensselaer has had a facelift to prepare it for its new tenants: new fire detection and telephone systems, plumbing and wiring repairs, window treatments and rugs, and double sinks in some classrooms and bathrooms.

She called St. John's a good site for the program, "very sunny, with lots and lots of windows!"

About 40 of the 130 children who went to Kenwood in Albany will make the transition to Rensselaer along with the staff.

'Good spots'

In its new digs, Kenwood will start with two rooms each for infants, toddlers and preschoolers; that leaves many openings for new students. The program's capacity is 104.

"Kenwood has a good reputation in the community," Ms. Shelton said. "There's so few really good spots left for families" to send their children for day care.

One advantage of moving to Rensselaer, she added, is that there's "a huge lack" of daycare available in the economically struggling city.

(Contact Kenwood Child Development Center at 465-0404.)

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