The look of joy and happiness on their faces told the entire story. As we made our way around the new $3 million, 12,500- square-foot Mayor James L. Usry Child Day Care Center, it was apparent that all of those involved in making this project become a reality had done an exceptional job.

Built on the site of Pop Jones Park at Virginia and Drexel avenues, the James L. Usry Child Day Care Center (below left), which officially opened for business on Monday, September 17, and was formally dedicated on Monday, September 24, is a stateof- the-art facility that will prove to be an invaluable tool towards the growth and education of Atlantic City's children. "Our goal is to build the children socially and emotionally," Site Manager Kimberly Clark said. "We are also very diverse amongst the children, so we have different cultural activities each month."

The facility can accommodate a total of 112 children in various-themed classrooms, such as a "Town Hall", "Food Market", and "Post Office" (below right). The entrance and doors leading into the kitchen are decorated like a firehouse, the staff lounge a cafe, and the front desk a newspaper stand. Upon entering the facility, an indoor "outdoor park" complete with artificial trees and grass gives the lobby a warm and welcome feeling. The "outdoor park" is lit by the afternoon sun, compliments of a glass ceiling that rises high above the floor.

At this time, the center, which is operated by Atlantic Human Resources, has two "Head Start" classrooms, five day-care classrooms for children from throughout the area and two open classrooms that will soon be filled to capacity. The center's "Early Head Start" program is open for all local children from low-income families up to 2 years of age.

The Infant Day Care room holds 12 children (four babies and eight toddlers) and features a separate room for toilet training. The outdoor playground, which faces Mediterranean Avenue, features three play sets, double fencing, padlocks on the gates for safety and a soft turf-like surface. The staff, which has 17 full-time teachers, uses a "teacher support system". The teachers and their aides talk with the children and ask them for their input in regards to what they would like to learn each day.

Each classroom is staffed with one teacher and one teacher's aide, while the infant classrooms feature one teacher and two aides. The day-care center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. The "Head Start" program runs from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and is extended until 5:30 p.m. for parents who work late. This project was funded by Trump Taj Mahal Casino & Resort and was named after the former Atlantic City mayor.