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A new agreement between the Chenango Nursery School (CNS), the Hamilton Central School District (HCS), with help from 51����, will provide for 32 additional childcare slots at the nursery school this fall.

A Hamilton institution since 1948, CNS has long provided childcare services to the local community, including for many 51���� faculty and staff. The University has played a role in assisting CNS through the years, including funding a $1.3 million physical expansion in 2013.

According to Joanne Borfitz, AVP of Community Affairs, “CNS is an important community anchor providing necessary childcare services.  In 2013 the University funded an expansion at its current location and we began talking about another addition but the partnership with HCS makes so much more sense. This is a great example of partners coming together to solve community challenges. The University is incredibly thankful to Hamilton Central for making this a reality.”

CNS has long maintained a lengthy wait list for childcare, and Director Christina Buyea says the new agreement, which was approved by the Hamilton Central School Board on August 15, will provide the nursery school with access to five additional classrooms in the district’s building directly adjacent to the nursery school. These additional classrooms will ultimately enable CNS to increase its capacity to about 150 students, which includes an after-school program for approximately 40 children.

“We’ve had a long waitlist for the last few years,” Buyea said, “This is something we talked about before COVID hit. Now, I’m happy to say that we do not have a waitlist and there are openings for new students. This might be the first time that CNS has ever had openings in the fall.”

The new agreement benefits all parties involved, as school district officials say they have seen regular student enrollment decline at Hamilton Central by about 20% in the past 20 years. As a result, HCS has classrooms that are not being utilized. The classrooms are all move-in ready, and the only infrastructure investment needed for the partnership was the installation of new door locks and swipe cards for security purposes. 

“While this is a new expansion, our relationship with Chenango Nursery School has been a long-term partnership,” said HCS Superintendent Bill Dowsland. “We actually had discussions about expanding before COVID-19. When the pandemic struck, we needed the space for social distancing. This year, we revisited those conversations and are really excited to see this come together. It’s a great example of community partners working together to provide a much-needed service to our community. I’m thrilled we were able to make this happen. It will benefit all parties involved and is great for our entire community."

HCS Business Director Matt Crumb said that in addition to filling a need within the community, the collaboration will also play a role in helping to acclimate local children to the district’s school setting.

“We hope this is something that families see as a great benefit,” Crumb said. “It’s another piece attracting people to this community and ultimately we see it as helping to stabilize or increase our enrollment.”

Families looking for more information about childcare at CNS can email director@chenangonurseryschool.org, or call 315-824-1810.