PARK HILL UNITED METHODIST CHILDREN’S CENTER
CELEBRATES 25 YEARS, 1980-2005 !!
Park Hill United Methodist Children’s Center is gearing up for a very special celebration and fundraiser for it’s 25th anniversary. The theme of this year’s gala is a “A Child’s Garden of Love and Learning”. It will be held Saturday, November 5th from 6 –12 pm at the Red Lion Hotel on Quebec.
There will be a silent auction highlighted by class projects, a live auction, music, dinner, dancing and a whole lotta fun! For twenty-five years, the Children’s Center has provided high quality early childhood education in a diverse setting.
The annual fundraiser provides money for scholarships, field trips, enrichment programs and more. To ensure that the Center can continue providing a unique early educational experience to the Park Hill community, the center staff and parents are reaching out to the community and our alumni families to help celebrate this tremendous milestone!
The idea for a children’s center started in1976. Members of the church’s Social Concerns Work Area Committee wanted to improve its outreach services within the neighborhood. Led by Reverend Dean Woodward, the group recognized a lack of quality childcare options in the neighborhood for families with working parents. In 1978, church member and Administrative Board Chair Jan Hazlett spearheaded efforts to establish the childcare center.
With the goal of serving the neighborhood, the founders developed a dynamic board made up of an equal number of church members and community members. They wanted the center to exist independently of the church and be governed separately from the Administration Board.
For the two years preceding opening, the board obtained the necessary insurance, financing, and city and state licensing. They built a new playground, kitchen, and dining room, hired staff, and marketed the school. The classrooms were ready! The center opened its doors in September 1980 with an enrollment of 45 children, ages two through kindergarten. Presently, it serves children up to age 12 and provides transportation to and from local elementary schools for before and after school care.
The present curriculum emphasizes making children feel safe and happy at school, developing relationships between children as well as their independence, teaching children to make choices and feel pride in their work, showing respect for others and appreciating differences, The center celebrates a number of eagerly anticipated annual traditions! The kids look forward to the Stock Show Parade, circus day, egg drop, summer carnival, Thanksgiving luncheon, and holiday program.
And not too many childcare centers offer an annual summer camping trip for children and parents. Teacher turnover remains low. Two teachers, Peter McInerney and Marsha Woodward, have each been at the center for twenty-four years. This continuity is one of those “intangible” benefits that the children’s center provides. The center also has more male teachers than the average early childhood education center.
Several alumni have returned to the center as teen aides once they reach their high school years. In May 2000, Candis Robinson became the director of the Children’s Center. Candis had experience at several other centers says, “Although I can’t quite put my finger on why the Children’s Center is so wonderful, I am glad to be a part of it.” In her opinion, it is the staff and families that continue to make the center unique — all of whom are genuinely committed to the welfare of the children.
For information on the Gala, to donate to the Center, and to purchase tickets, please contact The Park Hill United Methodist Children’s Center, 5209 Montview Boulevard, Denver 80207, 303-333-1335.