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Welcome to Mercer Street Friends Children's Services
For Infants and Toddlers
Mercer Street Friends' commitment to children is as old as the organization. Quaker volunteers, moved to action by the plight of the impoverished, resolved to "open our doors to the children of the neighborhood" and did so in 1958 at our original location at 151 Mercer Street.
One of the early attendees of our programs, Sanford Livingston, is now a vice president at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. Sanford wrote to us: "I want to say 'thank you' a million times for what your organization, Mercer Street Friends, has done for me. Because of your help, I have grown to become a leader and steward of my community. It was you who taught me my first notes on the piano. It was you who took me on my first trips to Philadelphia and New York, piquing my curiosity about the world. You have helped me cultivate my dreams and now they are becoming reality each morning I awake."
Each of our Early Childhood Education Centers offers a safe, nurturing, full-day experience for infants and toddlers that allows parents to better focus on their work or training. Our staff works closely with families to encourage learning at home and healthy nutrition, as well as connecting parents with community resources. Mercer Street Friends' programs enhance the ability of families to become and remain self-sufficient, while providing excellent developmental opportunities for their children.
Our center at Hamilton Avenue benefits from the warmth of the State of New Jersey Foster Grandparents program, in which senior citizens spend time in the classrooms with the children.
To volunteer, please call Phyllis Stoolmacher, volunteer coordinator, at (609) 406-0503. To contribute, click on Donate Now or Ways of Giving.
Emergency Closings / Inclement Weather
For emergency closings due to inclement weather, please tune to WKXW at 101.5 FM or WIMG 1300 AM. If there is an emergency closing during the day, we will call all parents or guardians directly.
The Mercer Street Friends Early Childhood Education Center at 1201 West State Street provides services for children ranging in age from 2 through 5 years. It presently has six Abbott classrooms funded by the Trenton School District and one non-Abbott classroom. As of July 1, 2006, the entire facility will become an Abbott Pre-K Center with six classrooms serving children 3 to 5 years of age. Teachers are certified and there is a family outreach worker for every 45 children enrolled. To qualify for this free program, children must be 3 years of age by September 30, 2006, and must be residents of Trenton. For more information, please call Lisa Banks, director, at (609) 393-8777.
The Mercer Street Friends Early Childhood Education Center at 1337 Hamilton Avenue provides services for children from 6 months to 5 years of age. This center also receives referrals from the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services to provide care for children who are in foster homes or protective services. Beginning July 1, 2006, the center will provide state-subsidized child care based on family income eligibility. Transportation provided by Mercer Street Friends is available. For more information, please call Hazel Powell, director, at (609) 588-3513.
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