December is surely a busy month for most people. Adults and children alike feel the pressure of trying to accomplish too many tasks in too little time. Parents often pick up children later so that they can run a holiday errand after work without the “assistance” of their pre-school aged children. Teachers want to take a day off before the holiday to get ready. Illness runs rampant. College students are facing the end of the semester, with final exams and projects due. Driving can be hazardous. Regularly scheduled commitments, such as committee meetings, continue.

Through all this hubbub, we work hard to make our building a calm and peaceful place during this busy season. Staff members taking a day off are covered by the person most familiar to the children in that classroom. We work to get outside every possible day so that the children can have the benefit of fresh air and exercise. Have you ever gotten a group of young children ready to play outside in the snow? It is no easy trick, yet our teachers do it regularly. We work to follow our regular routines and keep our environment predictable, yet interesting, for the children in our care. Our December community wall features candles, one for every member of our learning community.

At this time of year, we pause to take a moment and count our blessings. Our enrollment is high, and we will finish the year with a small surplus, which is no easy feat for our agency. Our board of directors has provided strong leadership and support this year. Our parent and staff volunteers and community support made this year's fundraising Carnival our best yet. Our 2009 budget includes the funds for our staff to attend our annual professional conference in May. Our license was renewed this year and the successful 2008 United Way campaign surpassed the goal. Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who made this success possible. In this economic climate, chair Jim Courtney and his team should be very proud of this $1.4 million accomplishment! Neighborhood House is just one of the 23 agencies that receives funding from the United Way to provide essential services that enrich the lives of many members of our community.

Key to our financial success this year was outside support from many generous donors. The Columbian and Allyn Foundation's gift provided a new playground piece, our largest to date! The Allyn Foundation gift also allowed us to renovate our classroom bathrooms. The Stardust Foundation's gift allows a group of children (presently six) who have a parent who is a full-time student at Cayuga Community College to be enrolled here at Neighborhood House. The Metcalf Foundation's gift allowed us to purchase learning equipment for the children to use. A recent gift from the Emerson Foundation will enable us to replace some classroom windows and purchase a new six-seater buggy to help us get our younger children outside regularly. Parents and board members have graciously supported our raffles, cookie dough sale and summer carnival.

Five of our teachers are completing their CDA (Child Development Associate) credential through a class that meets right here at Neighborhood House. This credential is required to be a head teacher in a child care classroom by New York state regulations.

Another reason to smile is that nearly all of the children at Neighborhood House are enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and receive one free book per month. This is made possible by our local Success by 6 organization. The local kick off of the Imagination Library this year at Family Fun Day at CCC was lots of fun and all the children from Neighborhood House wore their “I Think I Can” celebration T-shirts that we worked together to make. Watch for more information about the 2009 Family Fun Day!

Our 94 readers at Neighborhood House were part of more than 425,000 readers who “Read for the Record,” breaking the world record for the largest shared reading experience ever. To celebrate this event, every child at Neighborhood House received a copy of this year's book, “Corduroy.” This year's Doubledays tent party in July for staff and families was our biggest and best ever, even if the post-game fireworks were rained out. Since our kids enjoy being baseball buddies so much, we will surely repeat this event in 2009.

The new year will certainly bring many challenges and many joys. As we work to provide a great, safe and enriching learning environment for the 102 infants, toddlers and children we are licensed for, we will undoubtedly have many successes and some setbacks. Running a facility that is open 11 hours per day nearly every weekday of the year is no easy task. With the help and support of many members of our community, I am certain that 2009 will be a good year for Neighborhood House.

Susan Jones is executive director for the Neighborhood House in Auburn