{"id":82819,"date":"2026-01-09T23:11:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/82819\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T23:11:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:11:22","slug":"building-blocks-to-help-fill-child-care-void-in-city-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/82819\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Blocks to help fill child care void in city"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2014 Building Blocks Learning Center \u2014 which established its first location in Plains Twp. in 2001 \u2014 plans to open its newest facility this March in Scranton, said Zubeen Saeed, the organization\u2019s founder and chief operating officer.<\/p>\n

Saeed said her mission hasn\u2019t wavered throughout the past 20-plus years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI opened that (first) location for the purpose that I wanted to create a space where children were valued and respected, and we were a resource for families,\u201d she said during a preview event for the new center on Thursday. \u201cAnd 25 years later, opening our 13th location, I\u2019m proud to say we still believe in the basic foundation of what the company was started on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The facility is expected to employ about 25 people and can accommodate about 150 students ranging from infants \u2014 6 weeks old \u2014 to children 5 years of age, Saeed said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to create an environment where we are not only academically preparing these children, but we\u2019re also socially and emotionally supporting them,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to work with the mayor because I know she\u2019s working progressively on creating an environment that is supportive and synergistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saeed also praised developer John Basalyga \u2014 who owns the property at 130 Wyoming Ave. \u2014 for his ingenuity with the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just an abandoned building and somebody saw something in it and collaborated with us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Basalyga believes Building Blocks will serve as a valuable part of Scranton\u2019s downtown revitalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, I have been proud to bring new businesses, residents and energy back into downtown Scranton,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery investment I\u2019ve made, across dozens of properties, has been driven by one mindset: growth. Building Blocks is a perfect example of that vision. Not only are they opening a high-quality, early childhood education center, but above their space will soon be new apartments bringing even more families and life into the heart of Scranton. These are the kinds of projects that show what\u2019s possible when we invest in our city\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People tour the entrance where parents will drop off their children at the The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A classroom in The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A section on the first floor of The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

People tour the entrance where parents will drop off their children at the The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti expressed gratitude toward Building Blocks officials for choosing Scranton for the next location.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about the need for more child care and better childhood education options across the city and across Northeastern Pennsylvania for a long time,\u201d she said. \u201cYou guys have put the money in, the vision in, to make sure that we\u2019re realizing that vision. This will add jobs in the child care space and most importantly a place for more kids in Scranton to come, learn and become anything they want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building Blocks \u2014 which has locations in the areas of Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, the Back Mountain, Mountain Top, Hazleton and the Lehigh Valley \u2014 will occupy the entire first floor and about half of the second floor of the former Wells Fargo bank building.<\/p>\n

In addition to the learning center, the building will have 13 apartments \u2014 three on the second floor and 10 on the third floor \u2014 which are currently under construction, Basalyga said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2014 Building Blocks Learning Center \u2014 which established its first location in Plains Twp. in 2001 \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[60,201,182,803,28,178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-82819","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-lackawanna-county","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-luzerne-county","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-scranton","14":"tag-scranton-headlines","15":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}