Bumblebees R Us Daycare Center Opens On Lorraine Street

Neighbors are abuzz about a new business in Red Hook: Bumblebees R Us is a mammoth daycare center that has opened in the space previously occupied by Salvation Army at 76 Lorraine Street.

Occupying three floors, with a maximum capacity for 250 children, the brightly colored preschool has all the makings of a future community hub. Patch was given a tour of the facility on Monday, its first official day of business.

"We have four children in today," said Joy Heintz, executive director at Bumblebees. "And we know just from our open house, word has gotten out."

The ground floor of Bumblebees is dedicated to infants and toddlers; the first and second floors will house 3- to 6-year-olds. Rooms are outfitted accordingly with stations ranging from changing tables and cribs to crawl spaces, reading libraries, music areas, kitchen utilities and other manipulatives that enhance motor skills.

"We're not starving for space," Heintz said and smiles. Or for hot meals—Bumblebees has a fully functioning kitchen and will provide breakfast, lunch and a snack daily.

With a background as a special educator and principal for 30 years in Stonybrook, N.Y., Heintz takes the educational programs offered by Bumblebees very seriously.

"We use a creative curriculum, which is a thematic curriculum, and we are in the beginning stages of NAEYC accreditation," she said, adding that it will take two years of paperwork and review before that accreditation is formalized. "When people think of 'daycare,' they think 'babysitting' but we're a preschool program. We get children ready for kindergarten and there's a difference."

To that end, Bumblebees currently combines CDA certification standards with Universal Pre Kindergarten programs, Head Start programs and Board of Education guidelines to create a range of diverse programs that meet the needs of both mainstream and special-needs children. There will be one-on-one support, small group and whole group classes to stimulate all young learners in various areas of reading, math, social studies, music and even foreign languages down the road. If all that sounds expensive, parents might be relieved to know that Bumblebees is an inclusive environment.

"We want the community to know that we are accepting vouchers from those who receive public assistance," she said. "We also accept private payment."

In addition to the learning centers, Bumblebees also has two enormous outdoor play areas built onto rooftops, where children can run around on recycled tire surfacing in the sun. Those spaces will be generally open to older children, because, as Heintz noted, "it's a bit far for a 2-year-old to walk up these stairs."

"For the open house, we had a bouncy tent brought out onto the play area," Heintz added. "I thought the guy was going to die carrying it up there."

See the space for yourself. Bumblebees is now accepting applications.