Child Care Center Serves as God’s ‘Stand In’
By Wallace Bohanan
Beacon Child Development Center in Hendersonville, NC, is hosted by the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Not surprisingly, Beacon’s goal is to serve as God’s “stand-in” by nurturing and loving the children entrusted to its care; its teachers provide guidance, protection, and a foundation for a sound, Bible-based life.
Beacon serves children aged eight weeks to five years and charges a monthly fee of about $500. The modern facility has five classrooms, a kitchen, and a full-size gym as part of the larger Family Life Center. It currently serves thirty-five children, though its license allows for a capacity of eighty. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jacqueline Scott is the director.
The children who attend the center come from both traditional and
non-traditional families. Income levels vary, and some children come
from single-parent households or are being brought up by their
grandparents. The varied backgrounds of the children can present a
challenge, but the nurturing love provided by the staff, along with the
structure and stability provided by the program, helps Beacon achieve
its goal of developing the whole child.
Brenda Waters, lead teacher for the four- and five-year-olds’ class, is
married to Pastor Billty T. Waters, and she considers her service to be
“like a ministry. We take children from every situation without the
restrictions that some other child development centers have.” For
example, she notes, “children don’t have to be ‘potty-trained’ to
attend. Our staff goes over and beyond what is expected of them.”
 |
| Left – Brenda Waters is the lead teacher for the four- and five-year-olds. Kenya Hill is the lead teacher for the two-year-olds. Photo: Urban News |
When asked what makes the job rewarding, Kenya Hill, lead teacher for
the two-year-olds’ class, names “feedback from the children and parents
that a job is well done.” An example of the feedback the teachers truly
appreciate is a parent bringing roses for the entire staff on
Valentines Day.
Parents are also expected to take on responsibilities such as providing
Pampers, wipes, extra clothes, and blankets for their children. With
some parents having such limited resources, the center must sometimes
provide these supplies; donations are, of course, appreciated.
The well-equipped classrooms include arts-and-crafts materials,
puzzles, building blocks, books, and other learning materials for
younger children, as well as computers for the older children.
Although the kitchen, bathrooms, and gymnasium are used by the child
development center, they are part of the Family Life Center and are
also available for the community to use (on a fee basis) for parties,
weddings, etc. The gym is also open to the community on selected days.
Both as a stand-alone enterprise and as part of Union Grove Church, the
Beacon Child Care Center offers essential services to Hendersonville
families. Its affiliation with the church also brings it a spiritual
dimension that is sorely needed in the modern world.
