After over a year of construction, United Way Northwest Indiana showcased several additions to Faith Child Care Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, March 9. Faith Child Care Center is a daycare establishment in Gary that aims to help kids learn and develop as they prepare for kindergarten.
Many sponsors, local officials, organizations, and educators played a hand in the expansion of this daycare, as well as the parents who remained patient through the longer-than-expected construction process to fully experience the finished product.
One of the main goals United Way Northwest Indiana and its CEO Adam O’Doherty emphasized in partnering with Faith Child Care Center is to produce a positive, engaging environment for local kids to develop into their potential.
“We saw an opportunity to at least start the process of providing more childcare services in this community. We look at childcare services not just as the pivotal point to get children ready for kindergarten and K-12,” said O’Doherty. “Childcare is an economic barrier – some people can't go to work because they can't find childcare. When we saw an opportunity to partner with other agencies to make this thing happen, we were totally on board, and we're hoping to continue this going forward.”
Tonika Davis-Peeples, the owner of Faith Child Care Center, feels that being able to open these childcare opportunities can have a big impact on the City of Gary.
“I want to make sure that our children are not troubled at a young age, that they are safe. I want them to have a quality safe place where they can learn and they know that they are okay,” said Davis-Peeples. “ Most of all, I want our children to know that they are somebody.”
The daycare faced some setbacks along the way with new contractors and having to bring new contributions to the original site. However, Operational Director Tamera Jones stayed optimistic the entire time and knew that this day would eventually come.
“It has been a long time coming,” said Jones. “We have gone through a bunch of different trials to get where we are today. Without United Way Northwest Indiana, Geminus, and God, we wouldn't be here today at all. It's been an amazing journey.”
Another point of emphasis that Faith Child Care Center focuses on is the number of students that are allowed in the school and the amount that are in the classroom. Less students gives a student a better chance to remain focused on their studies.
“We have 20 children to three teachers,” said Davis-Peeples. ”We want to make sure that we do large group activities but that children can also focus in small groups. When they get ready to go to kindergarten we want them to know they can succeed in a large group or in a small group.”.
The community support was instrumental in Faith Child Care Center’s expansion. Support from external sources such as Love Feast Church of God in Christ played an important part.
“Pastor Harris is amazing. He allows us to use his entrances and exits anytime we have construction going on for the safety of our children and families. Our partnership with the church has been phenomenal because, without them, we wouldn't have had a kitchen or bathrooms while construction was going on,” said Jones.
Finding a productive and well-established daycare can be a struggle for parents. This is why United Way Northwest Indiana plans to continue partnering with childcare services in the future.
“We are embarking with Center of Workforce Innovations and a list of other partners on building opportunity hubs throughout our region,” said O’Doherty. “We are always advocates for childcare needs. We work a lot with First Things First and other agencies in the area, and it's an exciting time because we know it's not just us. There are a ton of agencies rallying around childcare.”
Faith Child Care Center is now open and serves as a welcoming place for the children that attend. To learn more, visit its Facebook page.
To learn more about United Way Northwest Indiana and its initiatives, visit unitedwaynwi.org.
