In 1892, a group of visionary
Passaic City ladies founded Children’s Day Nursery and
Family Center. Their decision to open a childcare center was
in response to the emerging need presented by the changing
complexion of "traditional" families that were settling in
the City. Passaic was fast becoming home to hundreds of
working class families from Holland, Poland, Germany, and
Italy. Before the Founding Mothers opened the Center’s
doors, there was no affordable daycare for the growing
number of two parent working families. The mission these
ladies so passionately embraced was to provide a safe,
affordable "home away from home" for children of working
parents.
By the turn of the century, Children’s Day Nursery of
Passaic (the1893 incorporated name), had earned deserving
public praise and recognition for its dedicated service to
the community. The Founding Mothers capitalized on the
Nursery’s good reputation. In 1906, they campaigned
vigorously to raise enough money in order to build a more personal
“home away from home” that they could truly call their own.
The stately brick building that is located at 104 Jefferson
Street, and pictured on this page, has been home to
thousands of families since its opening celebration in 1907.
Who We Are
Now:
More than a century later,
Passaic City continues to attract immigrant families who
struggle to make ends meet, but today these families are
coming from a variety of Latino and South American
countries. The “two parent” European families of a century
ago have gradually been replaced by “single female parent”
Hispanic families. These two startling changes to family
dynamics have created new more complex challenges to our
mission.
In 1991, the Center responded to these very challenges by
expanding programming to include early intervention services
for delayed, at-risk children and evening support services
for parents. Over the course of the next four years, the
Board of Directors tracked the impact that these enhanced
offerings had on participating children and parents. The
data showed an increase in the number of positive outcomes
from year to year. Consequently, in 1995 the Board of
Directors decided to change the Nursery’s incorporated name
to Children’s Day Nursery and Family Center so that it would
more accurately reflect the revitalized mission and “family
systems” driven program model.
Children’s Day
Nursery and Family Center,
104 Jefferson Street,
Passaic, NJ 07055
