The Kiwanis Day Nursery (as it was known in 1930), was located in a large two story brick residence on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Second Street West, which is now called Washington Avenue. The nursery did not require use of all of the available space. At the time, it utilized six rooms on the first floor and two on the second. The Huntington Baby Clinic occupied the four additional rooms on the second floor.

Two years later the Tuberculosis Association was permitted to take over a two room building in the rear of the property. Both of these organizations helped pay the utilities but were not required to pay rent. The nursery and Baby Clinic worked together on the medical needs of the children. The clinic provided this care, when recommended by the nursery, free of charge.

The "Superintended" of the nursery was a registered nurse who resided in the two rooms belonging to the nursery on the second floor. She had one maid to assist her. Each worked from 6:00AM to 7:00PM daily except for Sundays. The superintendent received lodging, meals, laundry service and $60 per month. The maid received meals while at the center and $5 per week. The Ladies Auxiliary, composed of wives of the Kiwanians and ladies connected with the club, volunteered their time to help look after the children. There was an enrollment of approximately 30 children ranging from the age of two to fourteen years.

These children lived within a five-block radius of the nursery. They came from homes where the mothers worked and the fathers were dead (or their whereabouts were unknown) or both parents were employed outside the home. The families in which both parents were employed were asked to pay a fee of $1.00 a day for childcare. Others were not charged a fee. Lunch was provided free of charge to all children. Other meals were provided free to those who paid no fees. Those paying fees were charged 5 cents a meal. Additional funding came from the Kiwanis Club, the Ladies Auxiliary and the Red Feather Service/Community Chest (now known as United Way).

The yard was only partially fenced in for the children to play. The only things in the yard were a large sand pile, a table and benches. The children were allowed access to the entire yard.

In 1949, the Huntington Kiwanis Club hired Mrs. Lucille Harbour as the first fulltime director. Under her leadership, the nursery grew from 30 children to around 55 children. Staff members were hired instead of relying on volunteers. This staff included five fulltime teachers, two part-time teachers, a cook and one part-time bookkeeper. Opening hours changed to 6:30AM to 5:30PM Monday through Friday. An age limit was established and now admitted children only from age two to age six.

Through Mrs. Harbour’s guidance, the center used games, naptime, stories, films, music and play to develop the children physically, mentally and socially. A sliding fee scale based on family income was developed under Mrs. Harbour’s direction. Free tuition was still provided, however, for children whose parents did not have the income to pay the fees. Because of the good care and reasonable cost, the center’s waiting list grew longer and longer each year. Mrs. Harbour retired in 1973 after 24 years of service.

Mrs. Evelyn Young, a classroom teacher, under Mrs. Harbour’s guidance, took over the role as the director. Mrs. Young had joined the nursery staff in 1959 and had become very familiar with the day-to-day operations. Under her direction, the nursery went through many changes beginning with the construction of a new building funded through a City Grant and the help of the Club. This building was built on the back of the same property and was dedicated on September 11 of 1977. The new building was a one floor plan with 6 classrooms, a kitchen, washroom, office and cafeteria. It now served 61 children, still within the same age groups. The staff changed to 6 fulltime teachers, one part-time teacher, one cook, a part-time bookkeeper and custodian. An additional classroom, storage room, teacher’s lounge and expanded cafeteria and kitchen were constructed in 1990.

This same year, the nursery celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Mayor of Huntington, Robert L. Bailey Jr., issued a proclamation declaring the week of July 20th "Kiwanis Nursery Week". The name was officially changed to "Kiwanis Day Care Center" and the Huntington Kiwanis Club established an Endowment Fund for the Center. The Fund allowed Kiwanians, their families and friends to contribute through their wills or by direct gifts, towards memorial items and the operational needs of the center not otherwise covered by the normal revenue sources.

Mrs. Young developed additional sources of financial help through the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Resources as well as continuing support of the United Way (Community Chest). Fees continued on a sliding scale due to this additional financial support. The grounds were completely fenced in for the safety of the children, while playground equipment and a blacktopped area were provided for the children to play on.

Mrs. Young retired in August of 1995 and the directorship was turned over to Mrs. Lanette L. Fraley. Mrs. Fraley held a BA in Education with a specialty in Early Childhood and completed her MA in Preschool Special Education within her first year as the director of the center.

Again the center took on more changes. A preschool style curriculum was added during the year 1996. Each teacher went back to school to obtain their two year certification as Early Childhood teachers through the Apprenticeship Program. The curriculum was developed through the efforts of all staff members with the guidance of Mrs. Fraley and the funding of a Venture Grant from United Way. This curriculum offered families a "Preschool" Program with the benefits and cost of a Childcare Center. The program was expanded to include children aged 6 through 12 years, allowing parents the chance to have siblings in the same center in the summer, after school and on days that the public schools were closed. The center also offered a helping hand to the Head Start program. A classroom was loaned to the Head Start Program so that they could continue to serve families within this area.

Other changes were a little more obvious when driving by or entering the center. A new developmentally appropriate playground was constructed in the front of the building. This was again thanks to City Grant funding and the Huntington Kiwanis Club. This could not have been possible, however, without the additional help of Neighborgall Construction. Under the leadership of Charles Neighborgall, III, his construction crew with the help of other volunteers, setup all playground equipment, put in a drainage system and created the fall zones for the new playground equipment.

Grant money was also obtained to replace the old air conditioning system and furnace system in 1997. This helped with the comfort of the children inside the building. The center staff now included 6 fulltime teachers, one part-time teacher, one cook, one cook’s assistant, a custodian and a part-time bookkeeper. Additional teachers were brought in during the summer time when the school age children were in the center fulltime. The Head Start program provided their own staff members for the building.

Some of the staff members have been here for more than twenty years seeing many, many children come and go as well as return with children of their own. Two staff members have been with three center directors. The assistant cook, Laura Lake, worked with all directors, but none consecutively. Mrs. Phyllis Stapleton, the bookkeeper. however, has worked with all directors faithfully for the last 28 years. She began with Mrs. Harbour on May, 1, 1969 and continued working along side Mrs. Fraley in 1997.

The growth of the center will continue with the support of the Huntington Kiwanis Club, United Way, and the community in which it serves. We look forward to the future of the center and the future of each child that comes through the center.

Author: Paul Davis, 1997