First Beginnings Child Development Center

First Beginnings Child Development Center

A Ministry of First Methodist Church 

Mission- Provide quality care and education in a safe and loving environment, promoting healthy lifestyles, and fostering relationships with Jesus Christ.

Opportunity- First Beginnings is a relationship-building ministry of First Methodist Church that impacts 150 students and 40 staff families five days a week. We are considered a “High Performing” Early Learning Center by the Louisiana Department of Education. Our educational experience includes quality academics embedded in play, physical education, Bible education, and routine enrichments: music, library, and chapel. The last three years we expanded our outreach to include Foundations (a special needs program),  Bible enrichment, and increased enrollment by 40%. We are living out our mission of fostering relationships with Jesus Christ and serving Shreveport families with love.

Our diverse staff of caregivers represents 87% African American, 6% Caucasian and 1% Hispanic individuals. 99% are female and 2% are male. Our dedicated staff members have servant hearts, but most struggle to make “ends meet” month after month. Loving and discipling them is an important part of our ministry. I am pleased that our church offers insurance and a pension plan for our full-time employees, both rare in early learning centers. We highly value our employees, many of whom have given decades of work to our ministry, and therefore we seek to support our employees to continue our legacy of providing quality care and education to our young citizens.

The cost of providing quality childcare is increasing. Food and supply costs continue to rise, benefit packages for employees are increasing, and wage increases are necessary.   To continue our legacy of providing quality care and education to our young citizens, we seek to raise $150,000 in this year’s fundraising campaign. Thank you for your help reaching our goal!