About OCC
The History and Philosophy of Ossining Children’s Center
Over 130 years ago, the Women’s Association of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church pioneered a new concept in community service: a home-away-from-home for the children of Ossining’s widowed immigrant mothers who needed to work to support their families. Originally founded as the Christ Child Day Nursery and Bethany Home, the Center was one of the first day care centers in the United States.
When doors opened in 1895 care was offered for free, in the spirit of community service. When no one came, inquiries revealed that these families did not want charity. When a small fee was imposed, classrooms filled quickly.
Whole Child Education
From the outset, under the direction of an education-credentialed headmistress, care was educational rather than custodial. Since our founding, we have emphasized the education of the whole child — an emotional, social, physical, and intellectual being — as a cornerstone of our approach to child “care.”
"I highly recommend it for daycare and education for your preschoolers."
- Stacy M.
Family and Community Advocacy
The Center became independent of St. Paul’s Church and officially incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1906 under the stewardship of our original board of 15 community-minded women. In 1963, the organization officially changed its name to the “Ossining Children’s Center,” (OCC) to reflect the fact that its mission has always been to provide nonsectarian education and care.
As times changed, and women of every economic status joined the workforce, enrollment began to reflect the socio-economic diversity of Ossining. During World War II the availability of high-quality child care empowered many Ossining women to join the war effort by doing jobs vacated by men who joined the military.
In the 1960s, as more and more mothers began working outside the home, OCC became a hub for advocacy in support of working families. Sally Zeigler, the Center’s Executive Director at that time, formed the Westchester County-wide day care Directors’ association and this group became strong advocates for public policy regarding child care. The Directors’ association evolved into the Child Care Council of Westchester, and since that time, OCC has played a leadership role in advocacy for children and working parents.
Top Quality Education and Enrichment
Today, OCC is recognized as one of the top child care centers in New York State, having earned a Four Star rating by the independent “Quality Stars NY” child care rating and improvement program. As long-term partners with the Ossining Public School system, we now offer an innovative, full-day universal prekindergarten program, as well as a complete menu of before- and after-school and summertime enrichment programming, in order to meet the needs of our community’s children and families.