Extended Day Child Care Celebrates 25th Anniversary

A long-time staple in Dublin schools has celebrated a milestone -- 25 years of taking care of children before and after school.

Extended Day Child Care Director Doris Dannels credits her program's success to being more than just a place where children run around and play games.

"I think for one, Dr. (Cheryl) McElhany, she is the founder of the company, she sets extremely high standards," Dannels said. "We are a very structured program."

McElhany, a former assistant school district superintendent in Dublin, started EDCC in Pleasanton when her daughter was in first grade.

But being structured doesn't mean the kids don't have a good time, Dannels added.

EDCC's programs focus on nutrition, physical education, art, music and letting the children perform, Dannel said.

Letting the children peform musical pieces for their parents was a big part of Extended Day's anniversary celebration at all of its centers last Friday.

Celebrating 25 years was a big enough deal to break one of Extended Day's rules -- the ban on junk food -- to serve up cake and other goodies, Dannels said.

All seven centers were opened to parents and some of them won door prizes, including $100 in tuition to EDCC.

Extended Day Child Care shows no signs of slowing down after 25 years with all of its centers being close to capacity or having a waiting list to get in, Dannels said.

The program has grown from about 25 students at Walnut Grove Elementary in Pleasanton to about 600 children at the Pleasanton School and every elementary school in Dublin.