Sean C. Morgan
A display of historical photos last week prompted a parent to leave to grab an old sweatshirt and then excitedly return to Little Promises Preschool to show it to veteran teacher Susie Burns.
The parent was Breanne Monroe. She had spotted herself as a small child wearing that sweatshirt in one of the photos in the display. It’s a Little Promises tradition to give the children sweatshirts with puff-painted designs.
“That tells the whole story,” Burns said.
Little Promises, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, is a part of the fabric of the Sweet Home community. Little Promises students are everywhere.
People talk about going to preschool there or they have family who have gone to Little Promises. Around town, it may be a teller at a bank, a firefighter, postal worker or clerk who attended the preschool. It’s neighbors and coaches.
People all through the community are connected or involved somehow, Burns said.
“It is so important to have this program available to everybody in our community. We’re affecting our community in a positive way.”
A large number of students graduating high school with honors, from those on the Honor Roll to the valedictorians, got their start at Little Promises, Burns said. They often do well in their careers, and proud parents regularly call back to Little Promises to let the staff know how things turn out for their children.
They have roots and memories in the school, and parents like Monroe recall them fondly. Burns said she had just asked her mother for the sweatshirt, a childhood treasure.
About a month ago, Burns said she found four giant tubs of photos while she was cleaning out the staff room.
Not remembering if the school had previously held an anniversary celebration, she decided to turn the Christmas program, held Dec. 18, into an anniversary commemorating the 35th class of students at Little Promises. Burns and founder Anita Hutchins think the school may have had a small celebration its 25th year.
Burns put up many of the old photos so parents and visitors could see them when they came to watch the Christmas program, she said. Even after their children leave the school, many parents return to the program regularly just to visit “because they’re so cute.”
Little Promises is a Christian nonprofit ministry offering low-cost daycare, preschool and after- school services. The school operates in the old Pleasant Valley Kindergarten building, 28028 Pleasant Valley Road.
Hutchins started her first class at Sweet Home Evangelical Church in 1982, with the school year ending in 1983. The only class photo from that year is one of children in costume.
“The next year, she had two classes,” Burns said. Photos of each of those classes now hang on the walls in the school hallways.
By 1987, Hutchins had four classes, Burns said. Burns left to work for Sweet Home Christian School, located at Community Chapel at the time – now the location of River of Life Fellowship, in 1989. By 1991, it had eight classes. The school has taught more than 100 children annually since then, and today, it has an enrollment around 100.
“They only had preschool and kindergarten,” Burns said. “I worked with Ruby Miner. Anita invited us to go into the preschool program.”
Hutchins became director with the addition of a daycare by Vanessa Swindall.
Burns, who is the senior staff member, took over the after-school program, which included 90 children. That program is available for students through the sixth grade.
At the time, the Boys and Girls Club was a smaller operation located in a building, now Abiding Life Church, at the intersection of Highway 228 and Oak Terrace.
Hutchins converted Little Promises into a nonprofit with a board in 2006. She retired as director in 2013 and then taught for two more years.
“I am really pleased,” Hutchins said of the organization. “We had a trifold goal when we started it. When I passed the gauntlet, they were in agreement with the original purpose and our mission.”
That is to serve the families in the Sweet Home community; to provide a safe place for children and families, to give the children a good stepping stone and start in life; and to provide a Christian-based education.
“It’s just really, really important to give kids a good foundation,” Hutchins said.
“Our goal is that they learn who God is and what God has done for us,” said Director Nelia Taraski. While they get a good foundation with the ABCs, which they’ll continue to learn in school, “our goal is for them to fall in love with Christ.”
She delighted in hearing a song they sing at Little Promises at a birthday party being held in a local pizza parlor: “Oh, the Lord is good to me. I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need, the sun, the rain and the apple seed.”
“We have kids of all faiths here,” Burns said. “It’s very inclusive of all types of faith and denominations.”
Staff members also focus on preparing children for the school system.
“What they need is the basics everybody needs for life,” Burns said. That ranges from getting along with others, cooperating and taking turns to personal hygiene and safety. They learn to follow directions and sit quietly, skills they really need in kindergarten.
It’s “a place where children can get a good start,” Burns said. After 29 years, “it’s the most satisfying thing to me. It’s really a privilege for me. Sometimes, I can’t wait to get to work. It’s the satisfaction of seeing a little child discover something.”
It’s seeing them show love to others, she said. It’s when a child comes up to her and tells her he played with another child who was all alone.
Taraski recalled a child who was embarrassed because he hadn’t learned to ride a bike. A couple of other students got on both sides of his bike and helped him learn to ride.
As they celebrate their 35th anniversary, Taraski said, she wanted to thank the Sweet Home School District for its support. The district leases the building to Little Promises. She also wanted to particularly thank four of seven board members, Erik Duncan, Wendy Richards, Connie May and Cathy Nichols, who have served since the inception of the board.
Monroe said she appreciates the school so much she’s sending her son there.
“I have many great memories,” she said. “Now that I’m a mom, my son is getting to experience these same things, like the Christmas program.”
For more information about Little Promises, call (541) 367-4350.