SCAN-Harbor’s Eisman Nursery School was the site of transformational refurbishment from The New York Junior League’s (NYJL) Community Improvement Project (CIP).

The project, completed this month, utilized over 200 volunteer hours, and a nearly $20,000 investment from NYJL, to give students at the Nursery School a warm and welcoming reading space. Last week, at a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony led by NYJL President Serra Eken and SCAN-Harbor Eisman Nursery School Program Director Ivelize Eatman, the fully renovated space was dedicated to SCAN-Harbor Executive Director Lew Zuchman, and has been named after him: The Lew Zuchman Reading Nook.

About the successful project, Lew Zuchman had this statement of gratitude to share:

“This center has a special significance to us here at SCAN-Harbor, and to the history of our organization from before I even started, so this is a very special place for us. I want to really thank New York Junior League for all their continued support, and for this particularly special project for us that truly warms my heart to see!”

NYJL President Serra Eken remarked:

“The NYJL is proud to support SCAN-Harbor’s Eisman Nursery through the renovation of its library. We are thrilled that as a result of our collaboration with SCAN-Harbor, the nursery school students at Eisman have a new library where they will develop early reading skills critical to lifelong success and build a love of learning.”

Over November and December, CIP redesigned and beautified the reading room at the Eisman Nursery, SCAN-Harbor’s early learning center in East Harlem. CIP volunteers primed and painted walls, installed new flooring, added lighting, assembled furniture, and hung art. Additionally, volunteers sorted through the book collection to curate the most appropriate and engaging selection for the students.

“It has been incredibly easy and efficient working with the New York Junior League volunteers,” said Ivelize Eatman, Program Director at the Eisman Nursery. “This project will be very important to our young students who will have a great place to call their home for reading!”

For nearly 20 years, the NYJL has been a proud partner of SCAN-Harbor, developing programming centered around critical areas such as childhood literacy and leadership skills development for teenage girls. The new library at Eisman Nursery creates a warm, welcoming environment for students to develop reading skills and meet one-on-one with speech pathologists and counselors. The library will also serve as a space for staff to meet and collaborate to better serve their students.