FALL CARNIVAL

For the second time in recent years, the Parents’ Community of EMCCC is offering a fall carnival in support of the continuing playground improvement project. Their past efforts helped accomplish the recent transformation of the preschool playground. There is more work to be done to make the playground even better. The 2010 carnival will take place between 11am and 4pm at the child care center at 171 Sheldon Avenue in Tarrytown on November 21st. As good as the last carnival was, this one should be even better. There will be a bake sale, crafts, music, puppets, a clown, and a silent auction. Numerous exciting items have been donated for the silent auction including sporting event tickets, gift baskets, restaurant gift certificates, and overnight weekend stays at local hotels to name just a few. It should be an enormously fun day for children and their families. A modest entrance fee will be charged at the door. A large turnout is expected this year.

INNISBROOK FUNDRAISER 2010

It is time again for the annual Innisbrook fundraiser offered each September. Wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, candies and other holiday items can be purchased in support of EMCCC. These are all items that most people generally need to purchase between now and the end of the year anyway so it makes sense to buy them as part of this fundraiser and support EMCCC at the same time. All of the items offered are very good quality. Purchases can be made either at EMCCC or online. Purchases can be made at EMCCC through the end of September. To make purchases online, go to www.innisbrook.com and select EZ to enter your order. Our school number is 110964. Whether the purchases are made at the center or online, the items will be received well in advance of the holiday season. EMCCC receives 50 % of the the total sales for this fundraiser. In turn, those profits are used in support of EMCCC programs and services offered to children and their families.

AUTUMN GALA SAVE THE DATE

We're pleased to announce that the seventh annual autumn gala for the benefit of the Elizabeth Mascia Child Care Center will be held this year on Thursday, November 11, 2010. It will again be at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. The cocktail reception and auction will occur between 6pm and 9:30pm. Board Member Lianne Hales Shaw will be deservedly honored this year. For more gala information please call 914-631-2126 or e-mail Gala@MasciaChildCare.org.

PLAYGROUND CONTEST

In an effort to keep the playground renovations momentum moving forward, as indicated in the EMCCC June newsletter, we have been entered in a playground contest offered by the not for profit organization Kaboom. The contest winner will receive $ 25,000 worth of playground equipment. Our efforts can be helped by logging in to www.Kaboom.org, and locating "Bill Baird Playground at Lagana Field". Once logged in, points can be earned by rating the playground, making a comment about the playground, and/or posting a photograph of the playground. Thus far we had reached the number one spot for a few days and are currently in second place. The contest will run until the end of August. The contest winner will be judged on the amount of support received, the worthiness of the project, and the relevance of the playground to the community. Kaboom promotes playgrounds within walking distance in communites. A factor in our favor will have to be the fact that the Bill Baird playground is the only one within walking distance of the child care center and for the Pennybridge community where it is located.

SCHOOL AGE SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM

There are still openings in our school age summer camp program but they are filling up rapidly. It will be a fun summer. The camp theme this year will be “Under the Sea” focusing on water related activities and events. The formal camp program operates weekdays from 9am until 4pm but campers can be dropped off as early as 7am and picked up as late as 6pm on those days. This year the camp program will operate for eight weeks starting on Tuesday, July 6th and ending on Friday, August 27th. Full day services will be offered as well for school age children needing additional summer care during the weeks of June 28th and August 30th. Campers will receive breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack each day. The program offered includes exciting weekly trips and a variety of interesting activities including swimming, an aquarium trip, picnics, music and art programs, karate instruction, interactive science demonstrations offered by Mad Science of Westchester, and a summer reading program, to name just a few. For enrollment information, call the office at 914-631-2126 or send an e-mail to director@mascialchildcare.org.

PLANT SALE 2010

We're doing our annual plant sale fundraiser a bit differently this year. It is an online event only. Supporters can go to www.flowerpowerfundraiser.com. Once there, they can click on "Find An Organization" in the upper right hand corner to locate the EMCCC page. It is actually quite easy. Once ordered, the plants will be shipped directly to the address provided by the purchaser. Nothing has to be picked up. The deadline for making purchases in support of EMCCC is Friday, April 23rd. As always, we thank our supporters for participating in our various fundraising events.