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Ossining Children's Center Celebrates 120 Years

OSSINING, N.Y. -- The Ossining Children's Center celebrated its 120th anniversary recently with a trip to WeeZee in Chappaqua. 

The Ossining Children's Center is celebrating its 120th anniversary.

The Ossining Children's Center is celebrating its 120th anniversary.

Photo Credit: Contributed
The OCC has been serving Ossining parents and children since 1895.

The OCC has been serving Ossining parents and children since 1895.

Photo Credit: Contributed

OCC's Katrina Rocco said, “This is the first centerwide field trip – ever in our history. We wanted to celebrate 120 years of helping the greater Ossining community – we wanted to celebrate the remarkable children that we have helped over 120 years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids who would otherwise not have the means to visit a place like WeeZee.”

OCC was started very modestly by the women’s association of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1895 at the Christ Child Day Nursery and Bethany Home. At that time, Ossining had a number of widowed immigrant women who wanted to work to support their families, but had no day care option, according to OCC.

It was then that some women created one of the first day care centers in the country. The day care always charged a small fee for services – opting for what people could afford rather than a flat fee.

As times have changed, and women of every economic status joined the workforce, OCC saw enrolment continue to grow.

Rocco said, “For many families child care is the No. 1 concern. It pulls the most out of the family budget. At OCC we are committed to high-quality care first – cost second. We are here for working families – we want them to know that you don’t have to compromise quality just to save money. All children, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserve the very best.”

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