Aila Boyd
The Craig County Child Care Center is celebrating 30 years of providing childcare and early learning opportunities to families in the community.
The center’s origins date to 1990, when Debbie Snead, then an employee of the Virginia Tech Extension Service, began documenting the need for a childcare center in Craig County. While a survey was initially intended to document the need, Snead said local parents ultimately demonstrated the demand for a credible place to care for their children.
Finding a suitable location was the first challenge. The only building approved by the fire marshal was the old high school gymnasium, which had been deteriorating since the school closed in 1986. The building’s cinderblock walls, however, met licensing requirements.
The county granted Snead use of the building if she could secure funding to renovate it and establish an affordable, accessible and quality childcare center.
What followed was a four-year effort to develop a Virginia-licensed childcare center. The project included replacing the roof and floors, removing asbestos, cleaning and painting the facility, equipping and furnishing rooms for different age groups, developing curriculum, and establishing health and safety measures, policies and handbooks in accordance with licensing standards.
Snead’s first funding proposal to the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation was approved, encouraging her to continue the effort.
The Craig County Child Care Center opened in 1996, initially serving five children with four full-time staff members. Teresa Oliver said the center at the time was more of a traditional daycare, providing safe and nurturing supervision for children ages 2 to 12 while their families worked or pursued education outside the home.
The center has since evolved into an early learning school serving children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, while continuing to provide before- and after-school care for children from kindergarten through age 12.
Today, staff members either have degrees in early childhood education or are working toward degrees through provisional programs. Staff members are required to maintain medication administration, CPR and first aid certifications, as well as complete 24 hours of professional development annually.
The center provides a curriculum approved by the Virginia Department of Education and offers a full-day preschool program designed to prepare children for kindergarten and future educational success.
C5 also partners with state and federal programs, including Early Head Start and Mixed Delivery, to help make early education affordable for families. The center participates in the USDA food program, providing children with nutritious, well-balanced meals each day at no additional fee.
Oliver now serves as the center’s chief executive officer, assisted by Karen Crush. Snead said Oliver’s initiative in finding funding and her leadership have helped guide the center’s growth and success locally and across Virginia. Oliver serves on several local and state boards with partner agencies, including United Way, Early Head Start and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, where C5 is cited as a role model center.
The 30th anniversary represents more than three decades of operation. For Snead and Oliver, it also represents the lasting impact of investments made by local government, partner agencies, families and the community.
Snead noted that 90% of a child’s brain develops by age 5, with more than 1 million neural connections forming every second during that critical period. Experiences, play and responsive relationships with caregivers and educators help build the foundation for future learning, behavior and emotional health.
“The 30th anniversary means that the investment local government, partnering agencies such as United Way, TAP, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation as well as our community and families have committed to the expansion and growth of the Craig County Child Care Center will have a lasting educational program that will continue to enhance the lives and families for generations to come,” Oliver said.
As the center celebrates 30 years, Snead and Oliver expressed appreciation to the parents, staff and board members whose dedication and hard work have contributed to the center’s development.
They said the anniversary is ultimately a celebration of those individuals and their contributions to creating quality childcare and early learning opportunities for children in Craig County.
