Big Boost for Bridgehampton Child Care
Before his death in 2005, Peter Jennings was a key supporter of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, and he and his wife, Kayce Freed Jennings, held a fund-raiser called Jazz at Jennings at their house for many years.
It had been even longer still since the last Jazz at Jennings benefit took place, but in June, Ms. Jennings brought back the fund-raiser — this time called Jazz for Jennings and held at the Watermill Center — to honor both Mr. Jennings and his commitment to the Bridgehampton Child Care Center.
The event raised close to $200,000. Now, the center has announced how it will be using some of its proceeds. Bonnie Michelle Cannon, the center’s executive director, said Friday there will soon be a new playground and a music program. Add to that an additional grant from AT&T’s New York State division that will help the center expand its college and test preparation program for teens, and the summer of 2015 appears to be a pivotal one for the center.
Ms. Cannon said the center’s programs and improvements are aimed at complementing what is already happening in the schools.
Some $40,000 to $50,000 will go toward the new playground, though that figure does not include installation and the rubber play surface that will accompany it. The Danish company Kompan, which also manufactured the playground at Agawam Park in Southampton, is building the equipment.
“There’s thought behind it. It will help the children with their growth,” Ms. Cannon said, calling it “a change that we need to make” because of how safety requirements and physical education practices have changed over the years. The existing playground is more than 15 years old.
A storage shed will also be built, freeing up space in one of the educational buildings on campus. That space will then be used to house a music program that will feature a keyboard studio with soundproof walls. The Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church will contribute some of the keyboards for the program.
“There are studies that have shown how the fine arts are instrumental in academic success,” Ms. Cannon said. “A lot of our educational institutions have been scaling down on music. . . . This is another way to make sure that our kids will be successful in their studies.”
The new playground and keyboard studio can be seen at the center’s Aug. 21 open house from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 551 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.
With the help of a $10,000 grant last year from AT&T, the center launched an SAT preparation workshop for teens in Bridgehampton and surrounding communities. After receiving another grant from AT&T last week, it will be able to expand that program to include essay writing and PSAT preparation this year.
“AT&T has a $350 million commitment nationwide to support local efforts to ensure youth acquire the skills they need to get through school and prepare for college and careers,” Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T’s New York State division, said on Friday. “We support programs like this one, which helps students outside the classroom and provides valuable skills. This is an extraordinary center . . . and we’re proud to be a supporter.”
The grant will cover instruction, supplies, and materials like sample tests, according to Ms. Cannon. The workshops will span six weeks and cost just $40, compared to the hundreds of dollars or more that private companies often charge for similar programs.
“For AT&T to understand the importance of this . . . and actually put some funding behind it is incredible,” Ms. Cannon said. “This helps the future of our children. . . . They believe in us and believe in what we’re trying to do here.”
The center was established in 1949 following a fire in a migrant camp in which two children were killed. Today the center serves a predominantly Latino and African-American population with widely-used programs for teens and kids ages 5 to 12 after school and during the summer.