At the East Hampton Town board meeting last Thursday, Project MOST Executive Director Rebecca Morgan Taylor was presented with a proclamation. Taylor has been working with Project MOST to provide the children of East Hampton with enrichment programs for two decades.
The proclamation, presented by Town Supervisor Peter Von Scoyoc on Thursday, December 21, commends Taylor’s “passion for education and dedication to her work which has made her an instrumental member of the community.” During her time with Project MOST, Taylor has successfully grown the organization’s after-school care program to cover two school districts. She has also developed classes and programs for toddlers, workshops for adults, and weekend and vacation learning labs that offer working parents options for affordable childcare.
The proclamation recognizes Taylor’s work during the Covid-19 pandemic in particular. Under her leadership, Project MOST provided a summer learning program and full-day remote learning support and enrichment during the pandemic. This program helped support parents who were essential workers and the well-being of children unable to attend school in person.
“I am honored to be presented with this proclamation. I give thanks to Supervisor Van Scoyoc and the rest of the town board for their support and recognition. I have worked with many wonderful children and families through the years and credit my staff who work with the children daily. I look forward to many more years with Project MOST and serving the children of our community,” said Taylor.
Project MOST’s mission is to bridge the significant wealth gap in East Hampton by providing affordable enrichment programs for children. The organization was founded in 2001 and offers after-school, summer, and community programming. Project MOST strives to be an equalizer, giving parents a strong childcare alternative during typical work hours that may extend beyond school hours. In addition to after-school care and summer camp, the organization also provides tutoring, workshops, and an early learning program.
Taylor is a former teacher with a MAT in Art Education and certificates in school district and building administration. She began her tenure at Project MOST as a Site Director in her hometown of Shelter Island and worked her way up to Project Coordinator, then Executive Director. As Executive Director, Taylor manages and oversees all Project MOST operations.
Under her leadership, Project MOST has grown, and their most recent project is constructing a new facility that will allow massive expansion. An anonymous person donated a large house and $5 million to the organization early this year. The organization intends to move the house to land donated to the project by the East Hampton Neighborhood House. Project MOST began renting space from Neighborhood House for their after-school programs in early 2020, and the two organizations have continued to have a mutually beneficial relationship since. As Neighborhood House started the process of winding down their programs and closing their doors, it was a natural decision to donate the property they had occupied for nearly 100 years to Project MOST.
Taylor is currently leading a $10 million fundraising campaign to demolish the existing structure on the property and move the donated house there for the new Project MOST facility. The planned facility will feature several classrooms, a commercial kitchen, office and meeting spaces, a multi-purpose activities room, and a caretaker’s apartment.
