The Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Daycare Center has been named as the best in the region in The Citizen’s 2025 contest. Community voting ran through April, and the BOCES Daycare Center received the most tallies out of all the nominees under the “Best Childcare Provider/Daycare” category.

This recognition is a testament to the incredible community that surrounds and supports the Daycare Center every day.

While the Daycare Center has evolved since its beginning in the early 1990's, one thing has remained the same: the dedication of staff to the children and families that come through the doors. The center is licensed to serve infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children, also housing a UPK classroom on-site. Programs are community-based, serving those in and around the Auburn area. 

The Daycare Center began at the South Street campus with an infant and toddler room, with the preschool room opening up shortly after. For a short period there were two sites. In addition to the South Street location, there was a small campus at The Center for Learning, which ran for a few years before the sites consolidated back into one. In 2007, the Daycare Center moved into the Regional Education Center building.

More than just a childcare provider, the Daycare Center at BOCES serves as a lab for the Early Childhood Education program. Classrooms provide hands-on learning opportunities for high school juniors and seniors seeking an education-based future. 

According to UPK teacher and acting Daycare Center director Danielle Fantasia, many staff and children have called the Daycare Center a “home away from home” over the years. 

“Just the other day, I returned from my lunch break and as a student hugged me on the playground, I said, ‘I'm home!’ We consider our parents and students family,” said Fantasia.

Fantasia says it’s not uncommon for families to reconnect after their children have completed programming and reminisce about their early years at BOCES. Moments like this serve as a reminder of the strong community spirit that makes the Daycare Center truly deserving of the “Best of the Region” honor.