The Boys and Girls Clubs of Mercer County threw their doors wide open – and had their doors blown right off – when over 300 local parents and their little children visited the brand new Spruce Street Community Center in Lawrence for a pre-school fair this past weekend.
From face-painting to bounce houses, sports demonstrations to walking tours, the event opened the eyes of many residents who had not yet been through the sparkling facility.
“We had no idea how many programs are being offered here,” said local resident Megg Lex, who brought her 1-year-old twins along. “I have a feeling we’ll be back here a lot over the next 15 years or so.”
The event served to highlight both the extensive programming available for Mercer County youth and the burgeoning pre-school program.
“The response from the community to this event was tremendous,” said David Anderson, the president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County. “It speaks to the need for additional preschool programming in the Lawrence and Ewing communities.”
The state-licensed preschool program accepts children aged 2-and-a-half through 5 years old, through a diverse curriculum of art, music, computers, sports, cooking and educational enrichment programs. Seasonal themes and special events are held throughout the year, and the preschoolers also get the benefit of all the Boys & Girls Club has to offer at the Spruce Street location, such as the dance & gymnastic studios, the STEM center, and the art studio.
The 3 year old program is staffed at 10:1 student/teacher ratio, and the 4 & 5 year old program is staffed 12:1 student/teacher ratio.
The staff at the Boys & Girls Club can’t wait for some of the new students, who just signed up at the fair, to get started.
“It was a great day,” said Marci Rubin, the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County Lawrence location. “From Singalong Pete’s performance to a visit from Santa, the children’s happy faces said it all.”
For more information about all the fantastic programming at the brand new state-of-the-art Lawrence facility, please call 609-695-6060 or go to BGCMercer.org.
