Open for Business

On July 7, the last remaining element needed for the South Hadley Child Care Center to open arrived: children. Down the hall from the infant and toddler areas, older children exercise their imagination in one of many play areas. Director Barbara Finlayson says the center will have openings this fall for infant care, but otherwise is already filled nearly to capacity.

Getting a Lot on the Ball

The innovative PLAY program, which continues on campus through Sunday, aims to get minority youths scoring high on the basketball court and in school. Some forty participants get a combination of rigorous academic and life-skills training and topflight basketball instruction. Nearly 90 percent of PLAY participants go on to attend college, according to founder and executive director Dennis Jackson (shown at center, pointing).

---