The longtime director of the Perry Child Development Center (PCDC) is retiring after 40 years on the job, and the public is invited to honor her at an open house celebration tomorrow.

Colleagues and friends are hosting the event for Laurie Wernli tomorrow from 2-4 p.m. in the Clarion Room at Perry City Hall, and attendees can come and go as they please and wish Wernli well in the next phase of her journey. She started at the PCDC in 1979, and shortly thereafter ascended to the position of director which she held ever since. Under her stewardship, the PCDC has been accredited by the National Association of Educators of Young Children (NAEYC) for the last 14 years, something only 10% of child care centers around the nation can claim.

The retirement party is free and open to the public.