Educating children both spiritually and naturally is the mission of Jesus First Christian Childcare Center, a privately-owned Christian day-care.
Owner Faye Collins opened the center, located on 705 Bowie Lane, Aug. 22.
"I have a love for children," said Collins. And her work record shows it. She has worked in day-cares, public schools and head starts for more than 10 years.
Owning her own day-care is something Collins said she has always wanted to do. After gaining the experience and administrative skills necessary, she decided to strike out on her own.
When she found the building on Bowie Lane, Collins said she considered the decision prayerfully. Then she asked her sister, Marie Fields, to move back to Mississippi and help her run the business.
Fields had been involved in day-care for more than eight years in Illinois, and is a former owner of her own day-care, Collins said.
"Our goal is to provide each child with spiritual, academic, social, emotional and physical assistance and instruction," Collins said.
"This is a Christian day-care based on Christian principles as well as academics," she said. "We do both at an early age and get it instilled in the child young."
Jesus First Christian Childcare Center is state-licensed and can enroll up to 124 students. Currently there are 23 children at the day-care. "We are still taking applications for enrollment," she said.
Children from all races and cultures are welcome to attend, Collins said.
Besides help from her sister, Collins has more than 10 volunteers. Two of her most faithful volunteers are Stephanie Gordon and Linda Fields.
Collins said remodeling is still taking place at the center, and new equipment is being brought in.
"We also have a computer room, which is part of our curriculum, so children can be exposed to them," Collins said.
She uses a pre-designed Christian curriculum, and she has assembled the reading and math curriculum for the students herself.
"We start teaching them at 6 weeks old," she said.
Jesus First has classes for infants age 6 weeks old to 12 months; toddlers age 13 months to 2 years; preschoolers age 3 to 5; and after-school for children age 5 to 12.
But Collins said children are assigned to classes as they are developmentally ready. If there is a 2-year-old who is ready to move ahead and do the same work as the 3- to 5-year-olds, she moves that child ahead with the work. "We look at the individual child here before placing them in age groups," she said.
When looking back at how owning her own business came about, Collins said, "I give all glory and honor to God."
