CHURCHVILLE PRESBYTERIAN PRESCHOOL AND DAYCARE
A BRIEF HISTORY
On June 20, 1969, the Mission & Urban Concern Committee of the Churchville Presbyterian Church voted to create a “Day Care Nursery Program.” With a financial commitment of $250, the church began its unique ministry to families with children. September 19, 1969 marked the first day of school for the “Churchville Presbyterian Nursery.” The four ladies credited with starting the Center are Mildred Austin, Ruth Grimm, Eula Mackey, and Buckner Pannell. There were 28 children that first September 50 years ago. Churchville Presbyterian Nursery eventually became the Churchville Presbyterian Preschool and Daycare Center. When it started, the Center had just two dozen children in one room. Today the Center has grown to over 140 children in six different classrooms. Altogether some 1,800 families have sent over 3,000 children.
Helping the Center evolve has been its Directors. The first Director for Churchville Presbyterian Nursery was Buckner Pannell. As the Center evolved into Churchville Presbyterian Preschool and Daycare, the Center has had four additional Directors. The second Director was Eula Mackey. Followed by Lorraine Brown, then Judy Dulin. In 2004 Susan Blalock became the Director of the Center. She retired in June of 2016. On July 10, 2016, Libby Turney was installed as the fifth Director of the Center.
Churchville Presbyterian Preschool and Daycare has grown over the last 50 years. What started off as nursery care has progressed not only in numbers but in programs. Now the Center offers a solid preschool and childcare for before and after school. In addition, we offer summer camps designed to prepare children for Kindergarten. The Center is consistently 5-star rated school. We offer sports programs, a 1600 square foot outdoor playground, opportunities for children with special needs, field trips and, most recently, we participated in a healthy eating program through the University of Maryland (CHAMPS).
With all the changes over the years, our mission and philosophy remain the same:
Mission - It is the mission of Churchville Presbyterian Church to provide quality care to families in our community regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background. It is our goal to provide our children with a safe and loving Christian environment that fosters growth and learning.
Our Philosophy of Care - Churchville Presbyterian Preschool and Daycare Center is designed to foster self-esteem, spiritual self-confidence, competence in self-help skills, and those inner controls and language abilities necessary for effective interaction and development. We encourage children to feel good about themselves as a result of their achievements. We provide daily activities which encourage children to grow in all manner: emotionally, physically, socially, spiritually and intellectually.
