From the North Country to the Hudson Valley, we’ve seen the impact of the lack of child care centers.

Parents are being forced to pay well beyond what their budget will allow, while others are having to travel long ways to find proper care.

But in the Southern Tier, one group is hoping to meet that demand and it was a day years in the making. For the first time since closing in 2019, the former Boys & Girls Club, now known as the Southern Tier Community Center, is officially opened to the public.

Providing everything from child care to adult programs, it really is a center for everyone in the Southern Tier.

“Part of our mission is that we want to inspire hope. We want to inspire hope for our families and our children and our youth and people that we come across. And just seeing the outpouring of encouragement and just seeing people come in and seeing our spaces and going, wow, this is so amazing. You guys have done a great job that really encourages us to keep on moving forward,” said Nikki Post, director of the Southern Tier Community Center.

And a center like this is needed now more than ever across the state. According to a Children's Agenda study, over 3,500 child care centers closed or were shut down since January 2020. It’s left an ongoing burden for New York parents.

Here in Endicott though, a mixture of new child care programs, along with before and after school support, are already going a long way in meeting that demand.

“I never could have imagined how much outpouring of support and how needed this community center really is. And so from child care to recreation to just having people come and just having a place to hang out," said Post.

And that extends beyond just children.

You might remember that in 2021 Spectrum News 1 introduced you to Zorano Tubo, a certified pickleball instructor that had been working to bring the sport to the community center.

Today, adults from 25 to 85 are enjoying the courts, all thanks to his help.

“It is something that is really bringing a lot of seniors into the center and a lot of the community members who don't even know what pickleball is popping their heads in to try something new that they haven't done before, that allows seniors to be healthy and get some exercise in as well,” said Zorano Tubo, board member of the Children's Home of Wyoming Conference.

Children and adults alike now have a place to gather, with everything from weight rooms, to a massive pool. As more and more centers like this shutter across the state, this one hopes to serve the needs of thousands each year.

“It is just an amazing opportunity and an amazing place and an amazing service. And they have filled a hole that was really needed and necessary, absolutely needed necessary for the community to have a place to go. Juniors and seniors together to kind of just exhale,” said Tubo.

The Southern Tier Community Center is now offering memberships to the public.