Firetree Place open house highlights expansion
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Firetree Place staff welcomed visitors during an open house in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Firetree Place staff welcomed visitors during an open house in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent New classrooms were highlighted during an open house at Firetree Place in Williamsport on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. The center offers before school and after school activities, study space and meals to children in the community. Funded by grant money the organization will be able to serve 120 students, up from the previous 80 available before the additions.
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New classrooms, new activity areas, and a new outdoor playground were just some of the features the community got to see at the open house this week for the expanded Firetree Place facilities.
With the 10,000-square-foot addition to the building at 600 Campbell St. the childcare areas have been moved to the newer section of the building, opening up their former location for community events.
"The main premise of why we wanted to add our expansion was the programs - before and after school and summer camps - they kind of took over this side of the building," said William Dayton, executive director and CEO.
He explained that with the regulations regarding childcare, it was difficult to hold other events with children running around the building.
"The first step was to build the expansion, get the kids onto the other side securely, so then we can open this side for the community," he said.
The expansion almost doubled the capacity with the number of children that Firetree can serve.
"On average, we can serve about 200 unduplicated kids a day and we continue to add more classrooms as we go - we're just taking it very slowly," Dayton said.
Currently there are about 165 children in their programs.
The new addition is divided into zones to accommodate the preschool areas for children ages three to five and the areas where programs for kindergarten through sixth grade are held. Everything is designed to allow children to have structure but also to have a chance to shine with activities geared to develop soft and life skills with an emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The open house also gave the public the opportunity to meet some of the instructors who work with the children on a daily basis and to see some of the activities they have created.
Terrizaar Lewis, one of those instructors, has been playing what he calls the "game of life" with his group to help the children develop those soft and life skills by allowing them to choose life goals, deciding on such things as education levels and financial management.
"My goal is for them to have money, even though it's imaginary money and start learning how to manage it. I hope they make all the mistakes here because this isn't real," Lewis said.
Beyond that, he sees the activity as teaching the group how to work together.
"Even if you are a quiet kid who likes to do worksheets and you get a master's degree, if you're the highest ranking person in the group, you run the group," he said.
Although Lewis and an assistant help supervise, children learn how to lead the group.
"I want our kids to be able to problem solve. I want them to be able to lead and not just follow. But, also in order to be a good leader, you have to be a good follower. You have to know how to follow and do what's asked of you," he said.
The expansion of services at Firetree Place also helps to alleviate the lack of childcare for parents who spend time away from their children while they work.
"I think that it's important to have these spaces available so that way the parents can go out and provide for their families, while their children are being watched over safely and having the benefits of being fed and doing lessons to focus on those soft and life skills," Dayton said.
"I think it's definitely an aspect that's very important for the community. And then continuing to build on that and add more layers to help support the community as a whole is kind of what our goal is over the long term," he added.
Currently Firetree Place employs 26 staff members, but as programs fill up, more staff will be added.
"Speaking just from my perspective, we're very excited to be able to show you our new expansion over there and open up this side of the building and let everyone know that our future plans are to bring more programs, not just in the childcare realm, but also just as a whole for all the youth and also the adults of the community," Dayton said.
"We're ready to continue to grow as we've done over the past 10, 12 years that we've been in existence, so we're just very excited and happy to keep growing," he added.