Farmingdale Care, a nonprofit organization with offices stationed at Albany Avenue Elementary School which provides before and after school daycare programs for community children, is looking to expand its services. In applying for a New York State grant for construction of a new facility, Care hopes to build a new center where they can further their programs available to local preschool and school-age children.

In December, Care wrote a letter to the Farmingdale Board of Education asking them if they could possibly use school district property to construct a new facility if approved for the grant. If Care is given the grant, they could receive up to $1 million to construct a new building.

In the letter, Care President Gerard E. Donolli stated that he believes Farmingdale Care is a highly qualified candidate for such a grant for several reasons. They have a 16-year successful track record in helping community children, funding available for future expansion to contribute to such a project, existing contracts with the Departments of Social Services in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and a program that is licensed by the New York State Department of Social Services.

In addition, Donolli said that throughout their history, Care has always been a partner with Farmingdale schools. At their current service locations, set up at Albany Avenue, Woodward Parkway and Saltzman East Memorial Elementary Schools, they have provided an important adjunct service for the needs of the community's parents and children as the structure of families changed over the past two decades.

If they are approved for the grant, Care hopes to construct a facility on school property so they can further partner with the school district and move into preschool education and care for 4-year-old children. In addition, Care guaranteed that the district would have no obligation for the cost of construction, utilities, insurance, staffing, food, supplies or equipment if they allowed the facility to be built on school property.

Since Care does not need an answer from the board as to whether or not they can construct on school property in order to apply for the grant, the board suggested to Donolli and Administrative Director Julie Schroeder that they apply. In the meantime, Superintendent of Schools Gerard Dempsey said that the board will look into a possible location and the legal intricacies involved in building such a facility.

Dempsey pointed out that there would be several factors to look into before a decision of using school property could be made. The first item to consider would be adequate space. While unsure of the location, the grounds of Howitt Middle School are a possibility since Care only wants to construct a building containing approximately four to six classrooms.

In addition, there would be zoning codes to take into consideration, as well as the fact that construction would have to be done according to state standards. There would also be the question of who owns the building, to which Care representatives stated they would assume all responsibility to maintaining the facility.

According to Schroeder, Care is looking to start a pilot program in September which would provide daycare to preschool children. Currently, they provide daycare for children who are already in school, with midday programs available for kindergartners who are in half-day classes. In September, they will no longer need to provide midday services since the full day kindergarten program will have begun in Farmingdale.

"We are very excited about this opportunity and feel we have a strong chance at making it possible," said Schroeder. "We have 16 successful years of experience behind us and feel this would be great for the community."