The Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA (GWVA YMCA) held a grand opening of their latest daycare facility at 1122 Oak St., Pittston Twp. on Thursday, Feb. 3. The 15,136 sq. ft. state-of-the-art learning center will eventually house 168 students from Pittston Area. Shown during the ribbon cutting ceremony, left to right: PA Rep. Michael Carroll, Michelle Mikitish, Gr. Pittston Chamber of Commerce, Kevin O’Boyle, YMCA board member, Lindsay Griffin, president and CEO of the Greater Wyo. Valley Chamber of Commerce and Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, Jim Thomas, executive director of the GWVA YMCA, Katie Mericle, Mericle Real Estate, Jennifer Brennan, senior director of Child Care Operations, GWVA YMCA, Trudi Dorbad, GWVA YMCA Child director, Lindsay Landis, GWVA YMCA.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Jennifer Brennan, senior director of Child Care Operations, GWVA YMCA, addressed attendees of the grand opening of the Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education, Pittston Twp. on Feb. 3. Left to right: Lindsay Griffin, president and CEO of the Gr. Wyo. Valley Chamber of Commerce and Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, Brennen, Lindsay Landis, GWVA YMCA.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Jim Thomas, Gr. Wyo. Valley Area YMCA executive director, offered his appreciation to the staff of the YMCA as well as the Mericle family at the grand opening of the Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education Center, Pittston Township.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Michele Schasberger, Gr. Wyo. Valley Area YMCA Health Communities coordinator, right, gives a tour of the new daycare facilities at 1122 Oak St., Pittston Twp. during the grand opening of the Mericle Center for Early Childhood Education on Thursday, Feb. 3.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education, located at 1122 Oak St., Pittston Twp., is a state-of-the-art 15,136 sq. ft. early learning center servicing up to 168 children in 15 classrooms for the Pittston area.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
PITTSTON TWP. — The Greater Valley Area YMCA (GWVA YMCA) opened up its newest Early Childhood Education Center at the former Junior Achievement Bldg., 1122 Oak St., Pittston Township, on Thursday, Feb. 3. This is the YMCA’s fourth learning center in Wyoming Valley.
The Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education, a 15,136 square-foot building, houses a state-of-the-art early learning center at the entrance to CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park West. It opened on Jan. 3, 2022, enrolling 70 students. The center has the capacity for 168 students.
The Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education currently serves infants, toddlers, Pre-K, and school-age children in the Pittston Area School District.
Real estate developer Rob Mericle spearheaded the project with additional support from multiple donors along with a $245,250 in PA DCED Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credit.
“Our family thought the building would be a perfect fit for the YMCA’s programs,” Mericle said.
“Providing quality child care and educational support, especially early childhood education, is critically important to the well-being and financial health of area families. We are very proud to make this contribution and wish the YMCA well as it grows its programs in the Center.”
Mericle said the facility has been designed and customized to obtain a four-star rating.
“We reworked the entire building to meet the state’s strict guidelines for a first-class child care facility. We’ve built 15 rooms to accommodate infants to pre-school children and two large classrooms for the YMCA’s before and after school programs and its remote learning courses.”
“This unique childcare space became a great opportunity for the Y to step in and meet the growing need of childcare in the Pittston area community and surrounding areas,” Jennifer Brennan, GWVA YMCA senior director of childcare, said. “There’s so much that goes into getting a center opened and ready to serve the children and families and without our strong dedicated team at the Y, it truly would not have been possible.”
Approximately 3,000 square feet of indoor play space and a 520 square foot indoor multi-purpose area has been constructed by Mericle, as well as a brand-new commercial kitchen that can serve more than 250 children daily and, outside, a 2,500 square foot, fully fenced, outdoor playground with new equipment and a rubber safety surface was built.
“This is an exciting time for our YMCA. By opening this new childcare branch at the Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education, we are strengthening our mission-oriented work in the locations and communities where critical services are needed most,” Jim Thomas, GWVA YMCA executive director, said. “We remain committed to supporting our neighbors — learning, growing, and thriving together both now and in the future.”
“We are very grateful to the community here in Pittston for believing in us to provide childcare programming and this vision for a new center in the greater Pittston community,” Janelle Drach, vice president of Member Services, said. “We’ve come so far in the past three years that I have been working at the Pittston Branch. We’ve re-established our downtown childcare program and have been able to open a second location to meet the growing needs of the community.”
In addition to the donation by the Mericle family, other significant contributions include support from the Moses Taylor Foundation and the PNC Foundation, helping to provide equipment for the Center’s commercial kitchen and a van to provide feeding programs to downtown Pittston and other remote sites. The Center is projected to serve 40,000 CACFP free/or subsidized meals in its first year.
“Even with the fantastic childcare options already available in the Greater Pittston Area, the expansion of our business parks created a need for more great options,” Michelle Mikitish, Gr. Pittston Chamber of Commerce executive VP, said. “What better way to help our working parents than to have the YMCA step in to fill this void. Working parents face many challenges and quality childcare shouldn’t be one of them. We are grateful to Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA and the Mericle Family for bringing this fantastic childcare center to Greater Pittston.”
