Wilkes Holds Winter Commencement 
Robert J. Bruce, President Of Widener University, Addressed The Graduates And
Received An Honorary Doctorate.

Airport Boss's Daughter Eyed For Job 
On The Fast Track For A Position As A County Public Defender Is Recent Law
School Graduate Shelley Centini.

Sunday, January 21, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4 





YMCA's day care imperiled after kids get away &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By ANDREW TUTINO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; atutino@leader.net &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 HAZLETON The state Department of Public Welfare has refused to renew the
day-care license for the Hazleton YMCA after an investigation of a November
incident at the Jewish Community Center on North Laurel Street where three
children got out of a play area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The YMCA is appealing the refusal, state and YMCA officials said, and is
continuing to operate the day-care program at the North Laurel Street
location. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Nov. 3, 2000, three toddlers got out of a fenced-in play area at the
Jewish Community Center at 99 N. Laurel St. The toddlers were found outside
the play area by a passer-by, according to records obtained from the
Department of Public Welfare. It is unknown how the children got out, said
Linda Schreiber, president and chief executive officer of the Hazleton YMCA
and YWCA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The children were supervised by two day-care staff members, but the
staffers were "improperly positioned in the play area and were unable to
supervise the toddlers," according to the records. The children were
unsupervised for up to 15 minutes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The YMCA immediately suspended, and later dismissed, the two supervisors,
according to the records. A gate in the play area was readjusted to a lower
height, and Schreiber met with day-care employees to review the regulations
for running a program, according to the records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Schreiber said the play area fully complied with state licensing
requirements and, after the license refusal, the YMCA researched a height
requirement for fencing but none existed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Parents of students enrolled in the program were notified, according to the
records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In cases where we feel children's lives are in danger, we feel we
shouldn't be renewing the licenses," said Susan M. Aspey, the deputy press
secretary at the department. "Given that, they did appeal and can continue
operating." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a statement, Schreiber said: "While no one was injured, any incident
involving the children we care for each day is taken very seriously, as
demonstrated by the swift dismissal of the two employees responsible. We have
cooperated fully with the process of the state Department of Public Welfare's
child-care department to appeal revocation of the Laurel Street license and
fully expect it to be reinstated. We strive to uphold our previous record of
providing quality, affordable care to more than 1,200 children and their
families each year." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For now, though, the YMCA has lost its funding source that pays for the
subsidized portion of payments into the program. The subsidized day-care
provider, Luzerne County Child Information Services, stopped funding the
program after the license renewal was refused, as is procedure, John Hogan,
the executive director, said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hogan said his agency would pay for a portion of a child's fees to enter
the program, depending on what a parent could afford to pay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is a very unusual circumstance," Hogan said. "Something extraordinary
has to happen" for funding to stop. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Schreiber said the YMCA is providing "Y Scholarship Assistance" to families
who need it to continue to enroll their children in day care. The assistance
is a combination of community contributions, United Way money and money raised
from fund-raising events held throughout the year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Because families are in need, we are able to provide scholarship
assistance so they don't need to disrupt their child's care," Schreiber said,
adding the program doles out more than $160,000 annually in scholarships to
youth programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state's refusal to renew the license will not affect the YMCA's
operation of before- and after-school care programs run in conjunction with
the Hazleton Area School District, Superintendent Geraldine Shepperson said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shepperson said each of the schools in the district is separately licensed
from the YMCA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Department of Public Welfare received the YMCA's appeal letter on
Tuesday and is in the process of setting up a hearing to determine whether the
license will be renewed, Aspey, the deputy press secretary, said. No date has
been set yet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/PETE G. WILCOX &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The status of the day-care center at the Hazleton YMCA's North Laurel
Street location is tentative after the state yanked its license. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ymca's Day Care Imperiled After Kids Get