Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The B.C. Center, SUNY Broome’s on-site daycare center and preschool hosted a socially distanced, drive-through graduation ceremony to celebrate it’s students on Tuesday, July 7th. 

The B.C. center currently has 50 children enrolled in their program, 9 of which will attend Kindergarten in the fall. Teachers and staff at the center knew they wanted to do something special to celebrate the students who will be moving on to Kindergarten in the fall and bring closure to the end of the semester. They decided to plan a drive-through graduation send-off.

“Because of the pandemic, we have not been open for children since March 20th. says Pamela Holland, Director of The B.C. Center. “So, We have asked the families of these children to participate in a drive-by celebration at our center so the teachers and staff can say “congratulations!” We’ll also be handing out end-of-the-year gifts.”

During the closure of The B.C. Center, teachers have been holding Zoom meetings that allow the children to see one another and spend time together. The virtual meetings also allowed students the opportunity to participate in many activities with their classmates, including singing songs, reading books, participating in show-and-tell, and even taking a virtual field trip to a local farm. SUNY Broome students majoring in the Early Childhood/Teacher Education program collaborated with The B.C. Center by creating dozens of activity packets for the preschool-aged children. Teachers also sent activity ideas to families so that children could continue working on important learning concepts during the closure. 

The B.C. Staff hands out end of the year gifts to students.

“The drive-through graduation was a huge success!  Some of the children have been attending our program since they were only a few months old, so they have a close bond with The B.C. Center staff” said Pamela. “Getting to see each other one last time was very important for everyone as it brought the year to a close in a meaningful way.  We know they’ll all do brilliantly when they start Kindergarten in the fall!”

BUZZ PHOTOS: Photos from The B.C. Center Drive-Through Graduation Event

To learn more about The B.C. Center and its services visit The B.C.Center Website

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