Clark Foundation Provides $6M to Support New Daycare Center

COOPERSTOWN—A grant of $6 million to underwrite the creation of a new children’s daycare facility on the campus of Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown was announced by Jane Forbes Clark, president of The Clark Foundation, on Tuesday, April 30.

“The Foundation’s Board of Trustees and I are very pleased to be providing the funding needed to build a state-of-the-art daycare center,” said Clark. “Providing excellent daycare for the children of Bassett employees that is literally next door, with flexible hours to match their schedules, will help to attract and retain the best caregivers that our communities need and depend upon.”

The center will provide care for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children, and the care will be available during clinical work hours. Bassett will transform the historic Harrison House located at 1 Beaver Street into the new facility by constructing a 3,000-square-foot addition that will have classrooms, common and service areas, offices, and an enclosed playground.

The building will also have space dedicated to sick care, ensuring that employees’ children have appropriate care when necessary and, as a result, employees will not have to miss work. It is anticipated that the center will serve 70 children and employ 18 staff. It is expected to open in 2025.

‘’This extraordinary support from The Clark Foundation will be a game changer for our employees and their children,” said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, president and chief executive officer, Bassett Healthcare Network. “Access to an on-site daycare center will enable our employees to achieve a proper work-life balance and take great comfort that their children are safe and being well taken care of.”