Our History
The CHEERS School Familyâ„¢ is incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. It started as a single child development center in 1997 serving 100 children and by January 2005, it was serving close to 300 families in three locations. Some key dates follow:
- September, 1997 – The Heritage Child Development Center (HCDC) opened in the Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall serving 24 children while the building was under construction.
- June, 1998 – Heritage opened the new building with a capacity of 100 children,
- June, 2001 – Heritage expanded to a second site for its school-age program, The Clubhouse, serving 35 children.
- April, 2002 – The Children First Child Development Center (CFCDC) opened as a “sister center†in Kearneysville, WV, serving another 100 children.
- December 2004 – The final documents were signed by the respective Boards of Directors to legally merge the two organizations. The two organizations would collectively serve 247 children between the ages of six weeks and 12 years.
- January, 2005 – The Heritage Clubhouse expands into a second building at its site, bringing the Clubhouse capacity to 63 children and the CHEERS School Family™ to 275 children, with expansion capacity of a half-day program to 295 children.
Both HCDC and CFCDC were founded by area businesses and individuals committed to bringing quality child care to the rural communities. Without their commitment of time, talent and resources the child development centers would not exist.