WS Chronicle

Staff Report

The Winston-Salem Chronicle

Winston-Salem leaders marked a milestone for local families and older adults Feb. 24 with a ribbon cutting for the region’s first intergenerational childcare center.

Leaders from Imprints Cares and Brookridge gathered at 10:30 a.m. on the Brookridge campus, 1918 Bethabara Road, to celebrate the launch of the Center for Thriving Children. The site sits just off University Parkway near Wake Forest University.

The ceremony formally introduced a new childcare model to the community — one designed to intentionally connect young children with senior residents living on the same campus.

A new chapter in early childhood access

The Center for Thriving Children is scheduled to open to families March 2. The facility will serve infants, toddlers and children through age 5, with a total capacity of 144 children.

The program will offer full-day childcare, extended hours and summer camp. Before- and after-school childcare is expected to begin in fall 2026.

Organizers say the defining feature of the center is its intergenerational design. Children enrolled in the program will have structured opportunities to interact with Brookridge’s senior residents, creating daily connections between older adults and young learners.

Intergenerational programming has gained national attention as a way to address two pressing issues at once: early childhood development and social isolation among seniors. In Forsyth County, where many working families continue to face limited childcare options and long waitlists, the addition of 144 slots adds meaningful capacity to the local early learning system.

A multigenerational mission

Imprints Cares, which takes a holistic approach to advancing literacy and expanding opportunity for children and families, partnered with Brookridge to bring the concept to life. The organization promotes positive parenting, works to improve social determinants of health — the conditions in which families live and work — and aims to help break cycles of poverty.

By placing a childcare center on the campus of a senior living community, leaders say the partnership reflects that multigenerational philosophy in practice.

The Feb. 24 ribbon cutting signaled the culmination of planning efforts and the beginning of enrollment for local families.

What families should know

Enrollment is underway. Families can apply online at centerforthrivingchildren.com. For more information, they may contact Betty West at Imprints Cares at 336-722-6296 or bwest@imprintscares.org.

As the Center for Thriving Children prepares to welcome its first students March 2, community leaders say the model represents more than a new building. It represents a shift in how Winston-Salem thinks about caregiving — one that recognizes the power of shared space, shared experience and shared investment across generations.