1 - Christian and Missionary Alliance

tors. I secured a staff. We advertised
the opening of school lor September.
The facilities we planned to use were
Sunday school rooms, so tables and
chairs were no problem. We purchased
toys and supplies and got everything in
readiness.
Schuol opened on schedulc with
eight toddlers enrolled. A month later
there were twenty-three, and we con-
tinued to grow. Now with an enroll-
ment of sixty-eight. ranging in age
from sixteen munths to fivc years. we
are at capacity wilh a waiting list.
Ihe school became self-supporting
the first year. By March we had repaid
the $1,000 advanced by the church. As
the second year started, we had a
working cushion ofS1.500 in the hank.
loday it is a $50.000 operation.
That first year was of neccssity one
of total involvement fur me. I arrived
at seven in the morning and stayed
until 530 in the afternoon. I was
director. cook, teacher, laundress and
just about evcrything else associated
with such an undertaking.
[inti1 the summer of 1972 we
operated only from September to
June. But the need became so great for
year-round care that we now habe a
full twelve-month program. Collegc
students replace threc staff membcrs
who prefer not to work summers. The
college students habe added a fresh
dimension and they securc much good
experience. 1 hey earn money for their
schoul expenses, turn
First Alliance considers the nursery
school and day care center a valuable
arm of the church, probiding daily
opportunities to minister to the whole
child and his family. Ihe planned
program of activities is designed to
help the child develop physically.
spiritually and emotionally as well as
intellectually. Christian teachers and
thc atmosphere of the Christian center
make lhese experiences rewarding fur
the child.
l'coplr who work in nursery schuols
and da! care centers often lace looks
that ask "How can you srrrnrl it?"
Sometimes. in fact, the question is
verbalixd
Perhaps it is unusual 111 choase to
spend hours and hours every day with
preschool children. But at Sunshine
Nurser! School we look upon it as not
just a job hut a ministry. It requires a
definite dedication. We lind it
necessary not only tu love children but
to like them. AII~ it is nut always easy
to like some littlc children!
I'robably the least enviable juh from
sornc outsiders' point of view is that of
caring for six to cight toddlers still in
diapers. But in our school the same
lady. by chi~icc, Itas had that group fur
lour years. Incredible as it sounds. she
really prcfers them.
'ur stall now nuinhers nine ill-
cluding the dircctor (me) and a full-
time cook.
We arc willing to take any child as
long as therc is an upeninf. Wc draw
from lamilies of varied b;lckgruunds.
From the verb outsct I have made it n
point to pray that God would send us
just the children He wanted u to ltavc,
the ones whom we could help and
through whom we could re;~ch thcir
t;~rnilier which is re;~lly a part ol our
goal.
hot so long agu one 0Ithc teachers
and I madc an dter-schml trip to the
local itospital to visit thc muthcr of one
dour children. Our pastor. Kc\. 1'. H.
Courlas, had been bisiting lbcr taithlul-
Iy. seeking to point herto Christ. As wc
called on that very. wry ill lady she
testified that she wab rcall) trusting in
.Icsus Christ. She had had little Chris-
tian backgroond and without the con-
tact with the nursery school we would
ncbcr have known ahuut her. Hut shc
responded to our low and coilcern fur
her child.
Last fall the grandfather of one of
our childrcn died. It gave me an
excellent opening to talk with the
grandmother and to share my laith
with her. She was deepl) depressed.
and I told her \\'hat God had donc lor
me a few )c;m befure \\hen my hus-
band went to be with the L.ord.
I I her inlrequcntly on the tcw
occasims when \he called to pick up
her grandchild, hut each time 1 made it
a p11int 10 encourage her. Some week?.
ago she appeared at iny office duor.
literally heaming.
"I tuuk )our advice. Mrs.
Ai-msti-ong." she told me. "And the
I.ord has really helpcd me."
A young Jcwish wornan hegan
dating thedivorced Sather ofone dour
nurser!. school children. As a rcsult of
the nursery contact. both of them
hcgan attending church at First
Alliance. After a year of hearing the
gospel, Sheila was saved. rhen Bob got
right with the l.ol-d, loday they arc
radiant Christians.
And 1 cannot forget David. David
threw tantrums like no other child I
have cvcr seen He kept his mother in a
constant state ofdistress. Son~chow we
coped with David. We prayed much
about him and prayed with him. and
Ikivid did change. He professed to
rcccivc .lesus as his Saviour.
1)abid lclt aur school when he was
live years old. I hat very summer he
and his lathcr.en routc to Alabka. were
killcd instantly in an automobile accident.
I hrough thc inlluence of Sunshine
Nursery School a numbcr of i;lmilies
ha\.c chosen to attend our church.
Some have received Jcsus as their
Sa\iour. Other5 habe sought personal
coullsel from the pastor or unc nfthe
h e r stiiif members.
"5,'
'7 c have nlade ebcry efiort to stay
clusc to the principle ui Isaiah 28:lil:
". . . precept upon precept, precept
upon precept; line upon line. line upon
line: here a little. and there :I little."
trusting God to give the increxe fur
His honor and _rlol-y.
In most citieh therc is a need fur a
Christian nurser) chool and day care
center. Many churches would dixxner
that the~r buildings arc ad:iprablc
witl~uut major changes. There are
building codes relating 111 thc use of
any structure i ~ the r daily cart of
children in groups. hut with a littlc
work aild planning these are not
prohibiti\,c. It is rclativcl> easy to
secure details iron1 thc state as tu all
rcquireincnts. and that is thc first step.
ll~c director is the key person. He or
she should hc capable 01 poise in cvery
imaginable kind uf sitwtion in\olving
preschool children and thcil doting
and somctirncs uptight parcnts.
Choose lor your stall pcrsons writh
etnutional b;rlance and :I good scnsc of
humor.
L\cn il your state docs not require
teachers with dcgrecs. it is a good
policy to select staff who haw had
sum courses in teaching children or
bvho haw had good. sound teaching
experience in Sunda) school. In-