Celebrating 40 years of service

For 40 years the Center for Creative Child Care (CCCC) of the Urbana United Methodist Church has been caring for the children of working families.

Current and former CCCC students and their families – and others from the community – are invited to an open house to celebrate the day care center’s 40th anniversary, 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23.

Guests will be able to reminisce with former and current teachers and administrators and view the center’s display of photos from over the years. The celebration also will feature free ice cream and activities.

The CCCC, located at the Urbana United Methodist Church, 238 N. Main St., was developed after the church’s Social Concerns Commission recommended that the church’s Council on Ministries form a task force to determine community need for day care.

The CCCC had 15 full-time and 44 occasional care children enrolled in 1976. The center now has an enrollment of about 100 full- and part-time students and is currently enrolling children ages 2½ to 5 years of age.

The center’s first director, Wendy Borchelt, served for seven years, followed by Lauretta McClain, who served 24 of her 27 years on staff as director. Current director Jody Rooney has led the center since McClain’s retirement in 2007.

Two current teachers, Karen Kauffman and Patty Harrigan, have been with the center for nearly 30 years. In addition, Susan Conley, Donna Dunham and Cindy Weyand have been on staff for 20 years, and Kim Edwards, for 17.

“That kind of dedicated service has been typical for the CCCC,” Rooney said. “The center and the children we’ve cared for have been blessed throughout the 40 years by very caring teachers and assistants.”

For more information about the CCCC and the open house, call 937-653-3322.

Cousins Mark Poppel and Andy Schenkel, shown here after a CCCC program in 1991, are among the hundreds of local children cared for by the day care center over the past 40 years. Poppel, a graduate of The Ohio State University, works for McGuire Excavating, and Schenkel, a graduate of Ohio Northern University, works at the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center at Ohio State.

http://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/08/web1_CCCC-Markley-Poppel-and-Andy-Schenkel.jpgCousins Mark Poppel and Andy Schenkel, shown here after a CCCC program in 1991, are among the hundreds of local children cared for by the day care center over the past 40 years. Poppel, a graduate of The Ohio State University, works for McGuire Excavating, and Schenkel, a graduate of Ohio Northern University, works at the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center at Ohio State.

Kim Edwards, a 17-year staff member of the Center for Creative Child Care and lead teacher of the Honeybee class, is pictured here on a field trip with Kason Hopewell in 2013. The Urbana day care center is celebrating its 40th anniversary and will host an open house, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.

http://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/08/web1_Kim-Edwards.jpgKim Edwards, a 17-year staff member of the Center for Creative Child Care and lead teacher of the Honeybee class, is pictured here on a field trip with Kason Hopewell in 2013. The Urbana day care center is celebrating its 40th anniversary and will host an open house, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.