OLD LYME — After all the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center (OLCLC) Board of Directors is proud to announce that the Center at 57 Lyme Street has reopened permanently and also appointed Dana Gatchek as its new Director.
Gatchek resides in East Lyme with her husband Bryon and children Tanner, Sydney and Owen. She has both a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Curriculum Instruction and Design from UCONN. She has been a teacher in East Lyme Public Schools as well as a director at a local childcare facility.
A delighted OLCLC Board President Kristen St. Germain comments, “We are so excited to have Dana’s experience on board to continue to move our Center forward.” She adds, “Joining Dana, we welcome an entirely new staff at the Center, all trained in first aid and CPR, as well as other state mandates required to maintain our licensing.”
St. Germain says, “We are so grateful to our patrons, who were patient while we closed during the pandemic, as we used the time to reinvent our programming to better reflect the childcare needs of our families in Southeastern Connecticut.”
The OLCLC continues to provide a family-like atmosphere, with small and intimate programs ready to serve families in the local area. The programs offered include Infants (six weeks to a year), Transition (one year to two years), and Toddlers (age two and up.)
Noting, “If you are in need of extended care beyond Region 18’s hours of operation,” St. Germain points out, “We also have the ability to walk their partial-day programmers over to the Center School.”
Currently, the OLCLC programs are almost at capacity with a few full-time spots in each program still available, but there are spots still open in the Region 18-sponsored School Age Program (Pre-K through Grade 5) at Center School.
For more information about programming, to schedule a tour of the facility, or to request a registration packet, email the Director at [email protected]