Teacher's Pet Instructors Unite to Rebuild Playground

When a sewage issue took away the playground at Levittown's Teacher's Pet this past June, a group of dedicated instructors took action.  

Breanna Martin thought a bake sale would be a great way to kick start the group's fundraising efforts and was joined by coworkers Leanne McAteer, Jessica Rampell and Jackie Rampell.  

"Being outside is more important than being inside the classroom," said Martin. "The kids learn new things they can't learn in here. I thought a bake sale would be a great way to raise money and have the parents and kids involved, so it was something for the whole center."  

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The bake sale took place in late October right outside the day care center, located at 2 E. Village Green. According to McAteer, who has worked with Teacher's Pet for more than three years, said it was a bigger success than they could have ever imagined. 

 "When our playground was destroyed, we really wanted to raise money for a new one," McAteer said. "We didn't think we'd make a lot of money at all with the bake sale, but it turned out we raised over $1,000."  

"The kids need a place to play," she added. "We try to walk them around the block but they don't have a place of their own, where they can run around and get fresh air. We miss it."  

Jessica Rampell, a Teacher's Pet instructor for one year, said the support from the center as a whole was remarkable and showed how much their work was valued by the entire Teacher's Pet community. 

 "All the parents were so supportive, and really appreciated that we care about their children enough to raise this money," she explained. "Being cooped up inside, kids can get crazy, and it's hard to take the little ones somewhere else."  

Day care director Pat Keller has worked with Teacher's Pet for nearly a decade and was truly impressed with the girls' efforts to help the center and its students.

 "It was all their idea," said Keller. "They had cakes from one end of the building to the next, and we had a few wonderful parents who spent the entire day here helping. I couldn't be prouder of these girls if they were my own kids." 

Keller said the $1,031 raised so far has been put toward a fence around the playground and beginning stages of construction, but a full recovery will take time. The girls hope that with further fundraising and aid from the Knights of Columbus, the playground will be ready come Spring time.

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