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Elves work overtime at Shepherdstown Day Care

By Staff | Dec 13, 2013

The Christmas season is an active one at the Shepherdstown Day Care. Gift wrapped daycare students charmed crowds at the Shepherdstown Christmas Parade as they rode a float created by Brian and SDC Board Member Chris Palank. Day Care volunteers will serving hot cider in front of the Shepherdstown Public Library every Saturday afternoon before Christmas; the volunteers will also be selling raffle tickets for the “Dine Out for the Day Care” Raffle which offers over $300 in gift certificates to area restaurants for a $2 ticket, or three tickets for $5. Treat yourself or give the gift certificates as holiday presents! (see text box for more information about the Raffle)

Christmas is a time of traditions and one of the Shepherdstown Day Care’s favorite traditions is the annual Holiday Re-Wrap. The Re-Wrap offers a way for Day Care parents to “shop” for Christmas and recycle gently used toys at the same time. The toys and games at the Re-Wrap are donated by the community, and are new or gently used; Day Care volunteers “re-wrap” the presents and create a Christmas shop in the SDC’s cafeteria. Donations of toys and games and more are being accepted at the Day Care from now until Dec. 13. This year’s Re-Wrap takes place on Dec. 19.

Each family that comes to shop is given an amount of play money based upon the sliding scale used for tuition at the center. Parents receive from $10 to $15 on average to shop in the “store” where items are priced usually at $2 or below. Those with lower incomes get more money to spend. At the end of the shopping evening, the toys that remain can be “bought” by teachers at the center who also received “money” for shopping. Games and other items find their way to classrooms for the children to use and enjoy all year. All remaining new toys will be donated to the Toys for Tots program while gently used toys will go o the local Goodwill.

The Shepherdstown Day Care is currently taking applications for openings at almost all ages. Interested parents should contact Melissa Holman, director of the center, at 304-876-6923.

The Shepherdstown Day Care, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in September, is the largest non-profit day care in the Eastern Panhandle, and relies heavily on community support not just for programs such as the “Re-Wrap,” but also for operating expenses. To be able to provide a sliding scale for tuition so children across the economic spectrum can receive top-quality childcare and educational experiences, financial assistance must come from a variety of locations. The Day Care currently is conducting its Annual Fund Drive, one of its key sources of assistance. Those interested in making a donation may send it to Shepherdstown Day Care, P.O. Box 388, Shepherdstown, WV 25443. Online donations may be made through their website at www.shepherdstowndaycare.org