Child Development Center
When the 2007-2008 school year opened this August, First Baptist Church of Asheville began its 54th year of weekday ministry to children and their families. This ministry, which started with 15 kindergartners meeting in the church parsonage, has become our Child Development Center (CDC). Over those fifty years, the weekday children's ministry has developed and changed in response to shifting cultural realities and community needs. What has remained constant has been the desire to welcome and nurture children in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ.
Mission & Purpose
The Child Development Center (CDC) is a ministry of First Baptist Church of Asheville to children and families in the name of Christ. We believe that children are gifts from God. We value their feelings, desires, thoughts and needs.
The purpose of the CDC is to help children trust that they are loved by Jesus and his followers; to give children opportunities to develop physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, and spiritually to their greatest potential; and to minister, where appropriate, to the needs of children's families.
Goals
To help children:
Trust that they are loved by Jesus and Jesus' people, the church.
Develop a positive self-image.
Experience happiness, joy and beauty.
Develop self-control and self-discipline.
Become aware of and concerned about the feelings of others.
Develop creativity, curiosity and self-expression.
Develop good communication skills.
Develop their thinking processes.
Develop listening skills and visual discrimination.
Develop appropriate independence for problem solving.
Develop good practices of health, safety and nutrition.
Statement on Christian Teaching
Because the CDC is a church-based childcare ministry, we offer developmentally-appropriate Christian nurture as part of the regular program of the CDC. The following themes are emphasized and included:
God made the world beautiful and wonderful. We give thanks for God's creation.
God made each of us special.
Jesus loves each and all of us.
Community helpers are ways to see God's care for us in our everyday world.
We can care for one another and our families.
Bible stories and Bible characters teach us important lessons, such as taking a stand for what is right, sharing and loving one another, and the importance of family.
Observance of the two major Christian holidays which occur during the school year, Christmas and Easter. Observances are done sensitively with careful attention to the developmental capacities of children.
Developmentally-appropriate chapel services are conducted.
To enroll in the First Baptist Church Child Development Center, contact Jennifer Buchanan at 828.252.4781.
If you are interested in applying for a teaching or assistant teaching position at our CDC, contact Jennifer Buchanan at 828.252.4781. |
