FRANKLIN TWP — Friday marked the end of a nearly 42-year career for Alice Nunes at the Butler County Children’s Center.

Nunes retired as the chief executive officer of the private nonprofit United Way corporation that has provided a variety of children’s programs since 1973.

Instead of concentrating on the hundreds of children across the county served by the center, Nunes said she would be devoting more time to her five, soon to be six, grandchildren.

Nunes said she started in November 1973, shortly after the center itself was formed.

“It was one child care center, and it was only for children whose families were on welfare. We looked out for the 15 children while their families were out looking for jobs,” said Nunes.

It was called the Butler County Day Care Center then, she said, and it was in the basement of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church basement.

“Back then, we could only take children in the Pennsylvania welfare system. Now we take children from all economic backgrounds,” she said.

Since then, the center has grown to nine sites across the county providing child care services such as day care, Head Start, Early Head Start and before and after school programs, as well as a full-day kindergarten and a summer program for school aged children.

Its 135 employees serve 700 children.

“I started as a teacher’s assistant and rose through the ranks,” she said. She was named chief executive officer in 2000.

Speaking from the former Franklin Township Elementary School that houses the center’s administrative offices as well as classrooms, Nunes said, “When you hit a certain age, you start thinking ‘Maybe I want to do this, maybe I want to see the grandkids now.’”

She has a son, Troy Nunes of Gibsonia, and a daughter, Amber Buser of Butler, and five grandchildren. Her daughter-in-law, Megan, is expecting to present Nunes with a sixth grandchild in June.

Noting that her husband Regis Young is already retired, Nunes said, “I guess I’m ready,” she said.

She said she hoped in the future the center “continue programs to fuel exceptional children and grow and expand, so we can service more children.”

“There are a lot of children in Butler County. I tell their parents they are very lucky to have good child care centers. Do we need more? We have a waiting list,” she said.

But she will leave future plans to her successor.

“In two weeks, I’m going to the beach. I’m not going to be swinging by. I’m making a clean break,” said Nunes.

Noting the center started searching for her successor in December, she said. “I’m leaving the agency in very, very good hands.”

Her replacement is Steven Green, who most recently was executive administrator of clinical services for the Bradley Center in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, a large residential psychiatric and educational facility for adolescents and youths.

Green said he was born and raised in Butler County,

“My goal was to come back and work again in Butler,” he said.

He graduated from Butler High School in 1993, earned a sociology degree from Slippery Rock University and a master’s degree in counseling from Waynesburg University.

“I would like to diversify the funding stream and increase our continuum of care,” said Green.

“If you really want to make a significant change on a child and family, early education has the most impact,” he said.

He has a wife, Michele; a 12-year-old son, Steven; and a 9-year-old daughter, Krislyn.