Modesto church’s Tiny Tots program will blow out 50 candles

From toddlers, to parents, to grandparents, generations have passed through the doors of First United Methodist Church’s Tiny Tots program. On May 1, they are all invited back to celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary.

Some will not recognize the place. What is now a bustling preschool of up to 34 youngsters, early day organizers said, began in 1966 as simply a free baby-sitting service for church families.

“It was the mother’s day out. We had children and we wanted to give the mothers some time,” said founder Edith Burchell. Moms dropped off their 3- to 5-year-olds on Tuesday mornings with a bag lunch, she said.

The idea proved so popular, the once-a-week sessions became two mornings a week, with parents all pitching in one day a month or so to make it happen.

“It was mainly for our members,” recalled Rennie Blair with a smile, “and then they brought their friends.” Blair was the first teacher hired for the growing program in 1967. She does not recall what she was paid – “It wasn’t much,” Blair said.

“You’re not a preschool teacher unless you love them. You don’t do it for money,” she said.

By that time, there was a nominal fee charged, in part because working parents wanted to be able to pay rather than volunteering, said the women at a planning meeting for the May 1 anniversary celebration.

“We had the parent component until the mid-1990s, then they began not to be able to participate,” said former teacher Wendy Nipper.

“I think that shows you how the lifestyles were changing,” Blair said.

Big changes, however, came to qualify as a licensed day-care facility, Nipper said. Drinking fountains were needed. Emergency exits needed to be installed. Restrooms needed to be closer. Set staffing ratios had to be met.

The preschool made do for a year in the church fellowship hall while construction went on, and the play yard was moved to the front of the church. Nipper, already a credentialed teacher, went back to school and got a child-development administrative credential.

“I was certified along with the preschool,” she said with a chuckle.

To mark its 50th year, the church redid the play area, removing the bark and installing soft solid surfacing, adding equipment and a cement bike track, said Director Luanna Eyerly.

The preschool stays true to its faith-based roots, providing a weekly chapel time lesson for the toddlers in its care. Lessons wrap in the Christian holidays, but play activities also wrap in the building blocks for school, Eyerly said.

“We make sure they are ready for this new, more stringent kindergarten,” she said.

But some lessons are timeless, such as learning colors and how seeds grow.

“I feel like they’re the same things we always did, but with updated materials,” said Blair.

The tots’ place in the literal heart of the church remains too, Nipper said.

“You can’t be in this church without realizing we have a (preschool) program. They really are a key part of how we do ministry in the community,” she said.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Modesto church’s Tiny Tots program will blow out 50 candles."