Live United, By Brenda Reed

Brenda Reed is the family service coordinator at The Children’s Center.

Children are our reason.

The mission statement for The Children’s Center is “To meet the needs of the community by providing quality child care and education that encourages individual development in a safe, nurturing environment.”

A child’s early years form the basis for learning for the rest of their life. The developmentally appropriate guidance your child receives at this young age is crucial to success and happiness during their teen and adult life. Realizing this importance, The Children’s Center continuously strives to offer a well-rounded program that offers growth in all areas: cognitive, social, emotional and physical. The Children’s Center prides itself on having a safe, secure, healthy environment for your child and all others entrusted to our care.

The Children’s Center is an independent, nonprofit organization. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of a variety of occupations and backgrounds. Our staff is professionally trained and fulfills annual staff development requirements. We are a professional organization providing quality child care and education to young children.

The Children’s Center believes each child is a very special and unique person. The philosophy behind our curriculum is that young children learn best by doing. Learning isn’t just repeating what someone else says; it requires active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work and to learn firsthand about the world in which we live. Our teachers plan a weekly curriculum using Creative Curriculum starting in our infant rooms. We use the infant, toddler and preschool versions. Families can be assured that their children will be ready for kindergarten when they leave our program. There is no need to take their children to another preschool program. We care for children from six weeks thru fourth grade.

United Way funds are so important in helping us accomplish our mission to meet the needs of the community. Because of the United Way funds we receive, we are able to provide a sliding fee scale for income eligible families. We know there are families who wouldn’t be able to enroll their children in our program without the financial assistance that the United Way provides.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their support throughout the years. The Children’s Center was an idea that started in a church basement with 20 children in 1969 and is now a successful and very unique reality for nearly 200 children in our community every year. Dedicated staff, board members and volunteers are responsible for the center’s on-going viability.

We believe that our mission and our philosophy speak for themselves. We are an organization dedicated to children and families. Children are our reason.