Date: Fri 03-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Children's-Adventure-Center

Full Text:

Officials Try To Stem Rumors About Day Care Center

First Selectman Bob Cascella and Mae Schmidle of the Children's Adventure

Center's board of directors held a joint news conference this week to quell

rumors that the town was reducing its funding of the day care center.

"My administration and the Legislative Council are in no way looking to close

the Children's Adventure Center," Mr Cascella said. "We funded the center with

$20,000 in next year's budget, the same as we have always done."

Mrs Schmidle said that state funding was cut by $55,000 next year, but the

center was determined to "operate more efficiently" and to seek other sources

of funding.

"We're going to do much more vigorous fundraising and try to get funding

through sources like the United Way," she said. "If anyone has any

suggestions, we would like to hear them."

Mrs Schmidle said that much of the confusion about the fate of the Adventure

Center occurred because the state has changed its funding schedule for day

care centers from a fiscal year to a calendar year. Because of this, only six

months' worth of state funding was reflected in the town's budget for fiscal

1996-97.

"In September the state will come back to us with new contracts for next

year," Mrs Schmidle said. "So many towns are in such trouble that we are

confident that more money will come eventually from the state."

Mr Cascella said the town cannot offset every dollar in state aid that is cut

"but we are still committed to the Adventure Center."

The Children's Adventure Center is a public, nonprofit corporation which

provides day care for children ages 3-6 and before- and after-school programs

for children up to the age of 10. It is located in the town's multi-purpose

building at 14 Riverside Road, a building which also houses the Senior Center.

Besides the annual $20,000 contribution, the town pays for half of the

utilities (electric, fuel oil and garbage pickup). The town also pays the cost

of employee benefits such as health insurance, long-term disability and

pension for the center's staff at a cost of more than $50,000 a year.

The day care center pays the town $7,350 a year in rent under a 20-year lease

which expires this year.