Current Cookier Corner owner Toni Tabone, right, stands with founder Donna Brenner, left, during the preschool’s 45th anniversary party at Fox Hill Country Club on Saturday, April 25.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The Cookie Corner preschool held a 45th anniversary party at Fox Hill Country Club on Saturday, April 25. Shown in the photo are staff employees. From left, first row: Faith Kessell, Hayley Lewis, Toni Tabone, Donna Brenner, Theresa Guzik, Anne Schwartz, and Patti Aufiere. Second row: Emma Rinaldi, Taylor Levandoski, Karen Williams, Doris Conant, Joan Urban, Deirdre Keefe, Shelly Romanczuk, Micayla Grey, Kelly Lawrence, Ann Marie Alu, and Kathy Mulhern. Danielle Bulger is absent from the photo.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Former students of The Cookie Corner currently working at the pre-school are, from left: Emma Rinaldi, Faith Kessell, Taylor Levandoski, and Carli Tabone, daughter of owner Toni Tabone, who works in the private sector.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
WEST WYOMING — The Cookie Corner preschool recently celebrated its 45th anniversary at Fox Hill Country Club, where owner Toni Tabone and staff gathered to celebrate the milestone.
Educators Donna Brenner and her sister, Sandie Charney, created the Cookie Corner in 1981. It has a staff of 15 serving 120 families in and around Greater Pittston.
Charney left the school after four years, leaving Donna Brenner with sole ownership until 2018, when she sold the school to longtime employee Tabone.
The transaction was smooth, and Brenner has continued to stay on until COVID, when it was touch-and-go, but with the help of federal grant money, the school survived.
Tossi-Tabone, 49, is a Wyoming Area graduate who received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a certificate in Early Childhood Education from King’s College. She accepted a teaching job at the Cookie Corner right out of college.
Tabone addressed her staff at the 45th anniversary party, thanking all who make up The Cookie Corner staff.
“They say it takes a village,” Tabone said. “You incredible women are my village. Each one of you plays a special part of the Cookie Corner’s success and I’m forever grateful for your support you give me. The strength I need to get through the challenging days. You always show up with patience, humor, and love.”
Tabone said for all the years she’s worked and now owns The Cookie Corner, it’s always felt like family.
“Because of you, The Cookie Corner isn’t just a business it’s a family, a team and place filled with love, laughter, and hard work,” Tabone added. “At the center of everything we do, are the children we care for. Each child who walks through those doors bring something unique and it’s because of you they feel safe and loved.”
Cookie Corner teacher assistant and substitute Shelly Romanczuk quoted Audrey Hepburn while speaking at the 45th party at Fox Hill.
“The say, ‘To Plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow,’” Romanczuk said. “For 45 years, Cookie Corner hasn’t just planted a garden, it’s nurtured a forest. It’s influence in woven into the fabric of the very community.”
The preschool is open 52 weeks a year, closing only for 10 official federal holidays, snow days not included. They offer toddler programs, nursery school, preschool daycare program, and Kindercamp.
For information on the Cookie Corner, call Toni Tabone at 570-693-3556.
