Christian Children's Center

HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHILDREN'S CENTER

March 26, 2004, marked the end of a thirty year mission of First United Methodist Church, when the Christian Children’s Center closed its doors for the final time. On the last day, there were 9 children and five staff at the Center.

As early as 1963, members of First United Methodist began investigating the need for a day care center. In 1968, our church was approved as a site for a Creative Play program to be administered by the City Recreation Commission, but the program was never implemented. In 1968, a committee made up of Maudene Goebel, Don Frey and Dr. Ted Young found the need still existed and presented a proposal to the Long Range Planning Committee. The proposal was tabled due to lack of funds for developing licensing requirements, which included an outdoor play area, bathrooms, hot water, and an outdoor exit from Room 101 to the play yard.

A plan was developed in 1972 for the use of our facilities by the Day Care Association, provided they could get additional operating and equipment expenses from United Way. This plan failed due to a lack of funds. Following the lack of funding support from the United Way, and a successful temporary housing for East Topeka Day Care, a committee composed of Carol Martin, Margie Heikes and Maudene Goebel sought the support of the Women’s Society of Christian Service under the leadership of Martha Rice. Those added to the committee at that time were Orra Jean Nordstrom, Jim Abel, Lamar Davis, Kathy Howard, Renae Humburg, and Hope Smith. They prepared a proposal to establish a center which would use Methodist curriculum materials. It was presented and accepted by the Administrative Board at its meeting in April of 1973.

The downtown Day Care Center, licensed for twenty children, opened on August 29, 1973, with an enrollment of ten children, and was housed in Rooms 203 and 204. The facility was expanded to Room 201 in August of 1975 and to thirty-four children. At the time it closed, the Center was licensed for 48 children.

The Articles of Incorporation of Downtown Daycare Center of Topeka, Inc. were filed on August 3, 1988 and signed by Marge Heikes and Maudene Goebel. At that time, there were 27 members of the Board of Directors.

On July 1, 1994, the name of the center was changed to Christian Children’s Center of First United Methodist Church.

Over the years, the Center has seen many changes. In the early years, there were five paid staff and much of the day-to-day work was done by volunteers. As state regulations changed, it became much more difficult to cover as many duties by volunteers. In its final year, the Center had 12 regular full-time employees and several part-time aides and substitutes. Salaries in 1973 were $30 a day for the director, and the part-time teachers received $2 an hour. Costs for those attending the Center in 1973 were on a sliding scale and ranged from $3.00 to $5.00 per day.

In January of 2004, it was decided that the Center no longer fit the mission of the church. State regulations were becoming much more stringent, numbers were down, and costs were up. It was difficult to maintain a high-quality staff, and willing volunteers were hard to come by. A brief survey indicated that there was not a scarcity of space in child care facilities in the city. A letter from Pastor Chamberlain was sent to the parents in late January giving the final date as March 26, 2004.

During the next two months, as enrollment declined, we reduced the staff as necessary. Our severance package to the staff included two weeks’ severance pay, payment for all accumulated PTO hours, and a bonus if they stayed to the end or until we released them because of low numbers. In addition, the church is picking up the $200 a month for three months for their COBRA insurance.

While it is sad to see the end of this mission, it is a mission that has served many people well over the last thirty years. We look back with much admiration for those who had the foresight to envision such a wonderful mission, and appreciation to all those who have been a part of it over the years.