The Trinity United Methodist Church Child Care Center will not be reopening, after being closed since March, 2020, due to the pandemic. This decision was reached in early March by the Trinity Leadership Team after a review of the church’s finances and the status of the Center. When the Child Care Center closed last March, it was thought that the closure would be temporary. After more than year, however, it is still not clear when the Center will be able to reopen safely, while a review of Trinity’s finances shows that the church would have difficulty offering even basic financial support, such as the cost of ramping up heat or air conditioning during the week if the Center did reopen. The Center’s staff and parents of children hoping to attend the Child Care Center when it reopens have all been notified of this decision. We regret having to take this step, since the preschool has been a valued ministry of the church for more than 30 years. Trinity took over operation of the Child Care Center in 2015 when the organization that had operated the Center since it first opened decided it would stop providing childcare at the church. We are proud of the staff, their commitment to the Center, and the excellent childcare they have provided over the past five years. We are particularly grateful to the Child Care Center’s director, Ms. Juanita Wilson, for her dedication and hard work on behalf of the Center and its children. 

Next week on Wednesday March 24th at 7:00 p.m., Merchantville PTA's DEI Committee and C.O.L.L.A.B. will host Dr. Nyeema Watson, Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Inclusion and Civic Engagement at Rutger's University, to present a discussion on "Let's Talk about Race". Dr. Watson is an experienced leader in civic and community engagement, higher education administration, anchor institution partnerships, student success initiatives, policy and program development, and research on issues relating to minority children and youth who live in high poverty areas. The Zoom link will be provided on the day of this event.  Questions can be submitted beforehand or asked during the live Q&A.