Our History
Our Start
Children First is a non-profit (501c3) early-learning center founded in 1999, born from a community commitment to ensure local families would continue to have access to quality early education and care after a for-profit center was placed into receivership.
In the beginning, we operated out of rented spaces — a 1,000 square-foot building for our preschool program, along with the local school cafeteria and even a barn for our OST (“out-of-school-time”) program. Despite humble beginnings, the support of families, staff, and community partners helped Children First continue to grow year after year.
Through long-term, low-interest loans from the USDA Rural Development program, Children First was able to purchase its building and more than four acres of land. As the needs of local families grew, so did we, expanding our center twice — first in 2010 and again in 2017 — creating more space for children to learn, play, and thrive.
Much of this growth was guided by founding Executive Director Donna Denette, who dedicated 26 years to Children First. Her leadership, vision, and commitment to children and families helped shape the organization into what it is today. Under her direction, the center completed two major expansions that tripled its capacity and strengthened its ability to serve the community for generations to come.
Our Mission
Children First serves children from 15 months through 14 years old. We “put children first” and believe that children deserve a magical place to spend their most formative years. We prioritize social-emotional development as foundational to all learning and growth and seek to ensure that children experience joy and wonder in learning.
Nature Based Philosophy
We know that children learn best through and benefit most from extended periods of outdoor play. You will more than likely see our teachers barefoot in the grass, checking on our garden beds, or investigating an insect that a child has found.
Social & Emotional Development
Strong social-emotional development is foundational for lifelong development and learning. It forms the basis for school readiness, mental health, and resilience, all factors for long-term success. Feeling safe in their relationships allows children to explore, play, and develop and maintain friendships.
Learning Through Action
Through outdoor play and activities, children get to learn new concepts in real time by interacting with the world around them. From discovering insects to group problem solving all children have the opportunity to develop actionable skills in their most formative years.
Our Funding
While primarily funded through parents paying tuition (private pay), we have always accepted state subsidies through vouchers and proudly work with ChildCare Aware to serve families with military subsidies. Our ability to continue to offer high-quality, affordable care and early education to our children and their families has been positively impacted by the State’s C3 Operational Grants, which allow us to better meet children’s needs by stabilizing and supporting staffing in order to offer lower ratios and more sustained teacher/student contact time.