Based out of Seward United Methodist Church, Bright Beginnings Childhood Development Center has been caring for children since 2008. Originally established as a daycare for infants, the ministry now offers its services to children ranging from 6 weeks–12 years old.
For Director Valerie Schack, the best part about running Bright Beginnings is getting to watch children grow and develop new skills.
“When they’re six weeks old, they’re laying there and they’re just babbling and crying and kicking, and by the time they leave at one to go into the older infant room, they’re crawling around and pulling themselves up,” Schack said.
Schack has been working with children for 27 years, and it’s easy to see how much she loves them. If discipline needs to happen, sending kids to Schack’s office no longer works as a punishment—for the kids at Bright Beginnings, getting to hang out with her is a reward.
“It’s more like a family than a business,” Schack said, “the mission is to serve the community.”
Currently, Bright Beginnings serves 38 children and has around 18 full and part-time teachers.
“We have really compassionate teachers, which makes a difference,” Shack said. “We’re teaching the kids values, which is really important in today’s world.”
Schack recognized the need for high-quality childcare, explaining that children involved in quality programs are significantly more likely to graduate high school, complete a bachelor’s degree and earn more in the workforce. Although it’s difficult to make an exact estimate, commonly-cited statistics say every dollar a family invests in early childhood care yields a $6.30 return, although this number could be even higher depending on the area.
“We’re impacting not just right now, but now through the future,” Schack said.
The center is in the process of becoming certified by Step Up to Quality, Nebraska’s quality rating system for early childhood programs. Becoming certified will allow Bright Beginnings to more formally guarantee that high-quality education is being offered.
Bright Beginnings is funded by the tuition that families pay, along with occasional fundraisers. This year, they participated in Seward County Gives for the first time, and raised over $10,000 for outdoor play equipment.
“It was heartening to see just the outpouring of gifts to help us improve our playground,” Schack said.
While monetary donations are always welcome to help reach the $15,000 goal, donations of gently used toys and clothing are also appreciated. Bright Beginnings is also accepting volunteers to rock babies, play with toddlers, and help out around the building.
To learn more, contact Schack at bbcdcseward@gmail.com.
