Published: July 02, 2008 12:20 pm            

Indiana University Southeast day care celebrates milestone

Kimberly Pelle squinted as she painted the finishing touches — two yellow eyes and a red tongue — on a snake on a child’s arm at the Children’s Center at Indiana University Southeast on Tuesday morning.

Pelle was one of the volunteers who came out to help the center host a 30th anniversary luau beach party for the kids. Pelle — who works for the college’s adult student center — said this day care helped her to get to where she is today.

“I wouldn’t have been able to be a college student if it wasn’t for the day care center,” she said. “The day care took a lot of worries off my mind. It was affordable and I could come and see my kids in between classes and have lunches with them, too.”

That was back in the 1980s.

Now, Pelle has two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree.

She is just one of the many who have taken advantage of the day care in its 30 year history. Right now, 125 kids are registered to go to the center, according to Coordinator Wanda Gregory.

She said the goal of the party was to raise awareness on campus that the center is there and available to help parents continue their education.

About 15 children were at the center for the party. Activities included making colored sand castles, wind chimes, playing with water toys, face painting and more.

“I love it, cause it has a lot of stuff I like, like toys and stuff,” 8-year-old Zyriah Johnson said, with her face painted like a cat, as she tried to climb on top of the monkey bars.

“It’s awesome!” 6-year-old Evan Lawhorn exclaimed as he picked out surfer-style decorations to put on his wind chime. “Everything’s awesome here.”

He explained why he and the other children were celebrating.

“It [the day care] was 29, but now it’s 30,” he said matter-of-factly.

Pelle said these years have made a big difference.

“It’s evolved so much,” she said, mentioning that there are computers in the center for the kids, when in the 1980s there were only toys. “There’s more learning experiences for the children now. It’s taken on a more educational aspect.”

Gregory said she is excited about this milestone and can’t wait to see the changes to come in the center’s next 30 years.

        

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