| In 1988 Christian Childcare Inc. was founded by Daniel and Tammi Armstrong as a non-profit charity dedicated to serving families needing care for children as well as older adults. After years of service in their respected fields, Dan, a children’s minister and early childhood educator, and Tammi, a geriatric clinical nurse specialist, combined their love for the Lord, family, and expertise to create The Gathering Place ... a place that families could be touched with God’s love from the moment they walked in to the moment they left. The first Gathering Place child care center was opened in May of 1998 in Oregon, Ohio, with the hope of adding on an elder care component in the future.
In August 2003, Christian Childcare's second Gathering Place opened in Perrysburg, Ohio under the direction of long term staff member Beth Guerrette. The Oregon center leadership was assumed by Lori Tate who had relocated from Tipp City, Ohio to serve in this ministry.
The Gathering Place child care center has achieved a level of successful notoriety in the field of Christian Early Childhood. It has been featured in the Association of Christian Schools International’s (ACSI’s) early childhood magazine CEE, as a model of dynamic Christian early childhood environments. Over the past five years, The Gathering Place has been visited by over a hundred organizations representing over 16 states seeking to create quality childcare. It has been referenced in the text book Practices and Principles in Christian Early Education.
The Gathering Place Oregon won the PRISM award for community improvement from the local economic development corporation. The Perrysburg center recently has been awarded national accreditation with several commendations of excellence from ACSI.
It is the dedication of the staff members that have brought The Gathering Place this level of recognition. To this day many of the original staff members still remain on as care givers and in administrative positions serving the Lord faithfully. To date, their caring love and teaching has impacted over 10,000 lives.
Today, The Gathering Place is reaching out to new communities in Ohio, as well as in Kentucky and New Mexico. Look for more centers coming soon!
|
