Daycare Has Been In Business 31 Years

We Care for Wee Folks daycare has been in business 31 years at the First United Methodist Church in Noel.

Jennifer Harris, director of the daycare, said her grandmother, Byrl Saunders, started the facility along with Joann Stauber, because there was nothing like it in the county at that time. The daycare is a nonprofit, license-exempt religious organization, she said. There are three employees.

"The people who work here have been here for a very long time," she added.

The daycare accepts ages 2 through 12 and uses Exceed curriculum to prepare students for kindergarten.

"At age 2 they start learning their colors and shapes. With the pre-K, we get them where they should be ready for school," Harris said. She said the daycare now has 10 pre-K children who attend the program and four school-age children who come after school.

"The church completely backs us. They pay all the utilities. That keeps us from having to raise our prices." At $15 per day, We Care for Wee Folks has some of the lowest prices around, she said.

Harris became involved with the daycare at age 12 when her grandmother decided she could use some help. Harris started out cleaning the kitchen and playing with the children. Over time she learned all the rules of the establishment, and when she turned 18, she became a full-time teacher. Her grandmother died three years ago, and the daycare received many donations in her memory. They received so many, in fact, that they are still using them, she said. Harris said her grandmother's influence is one of the main reasons she has stayed with the daycare for so long.

The daycare has some events coming up. On Sept. 22 they will hold their annual Trike-A-Thon to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. They have participated in the fundraiser every year since 1994 and have raised $17,000, Harris said. The daycare became involved in the event because a child at the daycare had to use St. Jude's services, she said.

Also coming soon is a date night for parents, from 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 30. The event will be open to the public. Prices for childcare will be $20 per child with discounts for multiple children, Harris said.

"We're trying to get people aware of the daycare and the services we offer," she said. For that event, they will take (from) babies up to age 12, she added.

If the date night goes well, they will offer a Christmas shopping day on a Saturday in December, she said.

Another upcoming event will be the annual rummage sale in October. People from the church bring items to sell, and all the proceeds go to the daycare. The fundraiser helps keep prices low, Harris said.

We Care for Wee Folks is open 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.