Some stories have a happy ending. This one has a happy beginning, too.
After four decades in Morristown, the Collinsville Child Care Center will be relocating next month to spacious classrooms on the Whippany campus of the United Jewish Communities of Metrowest New Jersey.
“It’s a magnificent site,” said Karen Wasick, Collinsville’s executive director.
As we reported in June, when negotiations were under way, the preschool will share space with the Head Start Community Program of Morris County.
Collinsville is a nationally accredited, federally subsidized operation providing day care for preschoolers aged 3 to 5 who come from working families. The Head Start program caters to infants and toddlers from families at or below the poverty line.
Established 40 years ago, Collinsville has leased an annex at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown since 1972. The two sides differed earlier this year over a rent increase proposed by the church, which has cited fiscal concerns for the future.
Karen Wasick looked at several prospective sites, and hit pay dirt when she teamed with her counterpart at Head Start, Eileen Jankunis.
“There were a lot of hoops to jump through, and lots of paperwork to be completed. But in the end, I believe this will be a wonderful site. We’re really looking forward to opening in September,” said the Head Start executive director, who credited her board president, Jay Gold, with steering her to the UJC facility.
Head Start is the tenant, and will sublet half of its 6,800-foot space to Collinsville. The one-year lease has an option for a second year. What comes after that, “we’re not sure at this point,” Eileen Jankunis said.
The six-room suite formerly housed the Brody Early Childhood Center, run by the Jewish Community Center. It’s part of a 30-acre campus off Route 10, about a 10-minute drive from Morristown.
“We’re really happy we were able to find an organization that can take advantage of that wonderful space, and make it a vibrant place with young children,” said Shelley Labiner, a spokeswoman for the UJC.
St. Peter’s rector, the Rev. Janet Broderick, is on vacation. In an earlier message to parishioners, she called Collinsville’s move to Whippany “a wonderful thing. It makes Collinsville strong.”
Today, Laurel Westreich of the UJC gave Collinsville staffers a tour of the new digs, which include a gated driveway, two playgrounds, a modern kitchen, and bathrooms with fixtures scaled for tiny children.
“It’s going to be amazing,” said Margaret Brown-Stansbury, head teacher at Collinsville.
“I think the parents will be amazed. They will be shocked!” teacher Bea Yuan chimed in.
Karen Wasick acknowledged some sadness about leaving St. Peter’s, where Collinsville has many friends. But she also expressed excitement about moving into the UJC’s immaculate classrooms–which can accommodate up to 48 children–about five more than the present max–for roughly the same rent she has been paying in Morristown.
“We’re just going to look forward,” she said. “We’re blessed. The UJC has been very welcoming.”
DISCLOSURE: MorristownGreen.com helped organize a fund-raising concert for Collinsville last fall. St. Peter’s is a sponsor of this site.
