Harrison House Childcare Center Set To Open by End of Year

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
COOPERSTOWN

Bassett Healthcare Network’s long anticipated Harrison House Childcare Center is nearing completion, with leaders expecting the facility to open before the end of 2026. The project, made possible through a major partnership with The Clark Foundation, aims to address longstanding childcare gaps that affect both families and the healthcare workforce across the region.

Before the ribbon cutting on September 26, representatives from Bassett, The Clark Foundation, and the Cullman Child Development Center gathered with community members and the Mulhern family to reflect on the building’s history and future. The center is named for the original Harrison House, home of Dr. Francis F. Harrison, whose 37 year career at Bassett helped define rural healthcare in Otsego County.

“Dr. Harrison never lost sight of how important the delivery of quality rural healthcare is in this region,” said Jane Forbes Clark, president of The Clark Foundation and chair of Bassett Medical Center’s Board of Directors. “His family, his property, his house, his dedication to rural healthcare…are all so strongly intertwined.”

The new childcare center, to be located on Bassett’s Coopertown campus at 1 Beaver Street, replicates the historic exterior of the Harrison House, a detail deeply meaningful to the Mulhern family.

“My family and I are most grateful…for the enormous effort and care that have gone into making the exterior of this new structure so closely resemble the home my parents built so many years ago,” said Barbara Mulhern. “We are very proud that it bears my father’s name.”

Bassett leaders say the center is designed to meet a critical need for reliable childcare—one that directly affects recruitment, retention and staff well being.

“Childcare is incredibly important to Bassett and to the future of our communities,” said Staci Thompson, Bassett president and chief executive officer. “Our caregivers can only be there for patients when they know their own children are safe, cared for and thriving.”

In an interview with AllOtsego, Thompson emphasized that the center is already influencing hiring.

“Finding good childcare that people can trust is a continued challenge all over the service area,” Thompson said. “When they hear that we will have this childcare facility available, it’s definitely a recruitment draw.”

The center will be open to any Bassett employee across the network, not just those based in Cooperstown.

Thompson noted that if capacity allows, Bassett hopes to extend enrollment to the broader community.

“We were looking at this point as well as opening it up to the community, if we would have additional availability of slots,” she said.

One of the Harrison House Childcare Center’s most innovative features is its three sick care rooms—spaces designed for children with moderate illnesses who cannot attend regular childcare.

“It would definitely be something very new for New York in general,” said Amy Williams, director of the Cullman Child Development Center, which will operate the facility. “While they have in the regulations a setup for moderately ill care…there isn’t really anyone doing it.”

The model is possible because Bassett can provide medical oversight.

“A medical professional needs to check on the children every four hours,” Williams explained.

Thompson added that the service will reduce disruptions for healthcare workers.

“Having a childcare center where you can trust that your children are being looked after even when they have a moderate illness is…so helpful for our employees,” she said. “And ultimately helpful for our patients.”

The center will include two infant rooms, two toddler rooms and two preschool classrooms, with preschool programming influenced by Montessori principles. Williams said the design reflects both developmental needs and the realities of healthcare work.

“Each age group has a lot of different needs,” she said. “We’ve designed programs that are really developmentally appropriate.”

Care will run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, including most holidays.

“We don’t close for weather,” Williams said. “We need to mirror the healthcare model.”

Families have responded most strongly to the flexible scheduling options.

“If someone’s only working three days a week, they should only need to have their child in care three days a week,” Williams said. This flexibility also expands capacity: “Our capacity will be 66 kids, but we’ll be able to serve quite a few more” through alternating schedules.

Construction partner Eastman Associates expects the building to be finished by late fall, though licensing from the Office of Children and Family Services will determine the exact opening date.

Williams noted typical construction hurdles—flooring delays, elevator installation and state inspections—but said tours will begin as soon as the building is ready.

“We can’t take children until we have the final license,” she said, “but we could do tours before it’s completely open.”

Thompson said the project reflects Bassett’s long term commitment to strengthening childcare access.

“This new childcare center represents exactly the kind of investment that helps families build their lives here,” she said. “It ultimately makes our entire region stronger.”

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Darla M. Youngs
General Manager and Senior Editor