LAKE KATRINE – Just beyond the white picket fence and the playground for preschoolers in Lake Katrine is a special complex that now houses a daycare center inside the Ten Broeck Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing.
A few months ago, Ten Broeck Center reached out to Tammy Reed, owner of the Saugerties Early Education Center, with an idea to unite generations.
“I think it’s been absolutely incredible. The kids absolutely love it. Residents can’t wait to see us walk through the halls, go visit them. So, I think it’s just been an absolute blessing of the program,” said Reed.
The co-location of a daycare center inside a senior facility means a few times a week young kids get to spend time with residents in shared activities. The results could not be any sweeter. Recently, the daycare and senior care combined to make sugar cookies.
Reed knows these are two important ingredients mixed together. “We’re bringing two generations together. And you’re seeing the young and the old. And I think with that said, the old are living through younger lives and just bringing joy to them teaches my babies how to be humble and how to respect elders and see the generations,” she said.
It could also be just what the doctor ordered for all involved. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General cited an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Not having a sense of community can be as detrimental as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
While excitement over cookies is hard to deny, so are the unexpected positive consequences of the program. Ten Broeck resident Marietta Carpino found herself sitting next to family. “His grandfather is my first cousin – Jay Misasi and I am so happy to be sharing my morning cookie making with their grandson,” said Carpino, formerly a resident of Saugerties.
Ten Broeck Center Activities Director Marisa Gorsline has her own son enrolled in the early education program. “It’s awesome having him in the facility, because then I am not having to go out of my way to drop him off at another facility,” said Gorsline.
It is estimated that nearly 60 percent of families with young children struggle to find affordable and reliable childcare in Ulster County, according to a report by the Mid-Hudson Economic Development Council.
It was having onsite childcare that made Haley Searl of Port Ewen take a job at Ten Broeck. “I love this job a lot. I love meeting the residents and he enjoys working with them as well. So, it’s been a really positive experience for the both of us,” said Searl.
The program at Ten Broeck Center helps bridge many gaps – including the kids not having a connection with older family members who may live far away.
Reed pulls all of these gaps together with a business model that could benefit other places in the county, state and country. “I get joy. I was a caregiver for my elderly grandmother for 13 years, so I understand completely what it’s like to bring two generations together. It’s just fabulous. I treasure it, said Reed.
