The Kiwanis Day Care Center is located at 71 Washington Avenue in Huntington. Founded in 1930 as the Kiwanis Day Nursery, the center has grown from a small facility in a donated residence to a modern facility with eight classrooms, kitchen, conference room and offices. The day care has been recognized as the oldest continuously operating daycare in the State of West Virginia. Kiwanis Day Care Center is governed by the Kiwanis Club of Huntington; a Community Partner with The United Way of the River Cities; a collaboration with the Cabell County Board of Education in providing a 4-Year-Old Pre-K Program; and licensed by the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources.  

All classrooms provide an educationally based formal curriculum which is also used by the Cabell County Board of Education. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks approved by the Office of Child Nutrition are served daily to all children in attendance. Additionally, the program provides outdoor play to all children daily on two playgrounds separated for children under two and over two years of age. The Kiwanis Day Care Center is the oldest continuous service project in the world as recognized by Kiwanis Clubs International. The Kiwanis Club of Huntington has received many awards over the years for their efforts with this project.
 

The center is licensed by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to serve 98 children daily in eight classrooms. We serve children ages six weeks to 12 years.

Our primary goal is to make day care a positive experience for your child. Safety, sanitation, establishing good habits, and learning new skills are areas important to us when caring for your child.  We will respond to your concerns in a timely manner. And if we don’t, we fully support you in contacting our Director.
 

Philosophy

The Kiwanis Day Care Center is deeply committed to providing children with a healthy and safe environment in which children can learn and grow. Our program is designed to provide the community with quality and affordable child care. Our administration and staff shall place an emphasis on each child’s development in the areas of physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth. All children shall be exposed to activities that foster skills in the areas of gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, social and emotional development and other various areas that build knowledge, attain skill, and foster a positive self-image and confidence.   

All programs operated by Kiwanis Day Care Center shall be offered to all children and parents regardless of race, sex, or religious beliefs. 
         

Mission

To provide affordable, quality day care to children of parents who work or attend school.

Parent Involvement: We understand that your child comes to us with unique experiences, interests and learning styles. Our goal is to truly know your child well and use this knowledge to guide, support and motivate him or her. We believe that good teaching requires continual professional development, personal reflection, and collaboration. We value parent involvement at every level and encourage you to partner with us to give your child the most powerful and joyous learning experience possible.

 

Staff

Our staff is highly qualified in the early childhood education field. Each staff member is required to take 18 hours of training each year. Our staff members are trained in CPR and First Aid, as well as in child abuse and neglect. 

We work with our staff so that each person understands the developmental stages and milestones of children, as well as appropriate responses. Many of our staff also have a two-year or four-year degree in education.

Kiwanis Day Care Center works hard to ensure all of our children grow to their full potential in a supportive and educational environment. Each of our staff members play an important role in caring for our children. When hiring new team members, we follow these guidelines.

• All staff are certified in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR.
• All staff have Food Handlers Certification.
• All staff have Child Abuse and Neglect Training.
• All staff are registered on the West Virginia STARS pathway.
• All staff must have 18 hours a year in early childhood education training.

 

Amy Frazier

Director

Amy has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in education, Apprentice Child Development Specialist (ACDDS) Certification, Pre-K Endorsement through the West Virginiia Department of Education. She has worked with Kiwanis Day Care Center since 2012 and accepted the director position in 2018.

Bendie Blair

Assistant Director

Bendie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Family Sciences, with a minor in Early Childhood Special Needs, from Eastern Kentucky University. Bendie has worked in the child care industry for more than 20 years. She accepted the position at Kiwanis Child Care Center in 2019.

Affirmative Action

It is the policy of Kiwanis Day Care Center to provide equal education and employment opportunities for prospective and current workers on the basis of individual qualifications and merit. In order to ensure genuine equal opportunities for all:

1. Kiwanis Day Care Center prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, veteran status, or disabilities.
2. Kiwanis Day Care Center will, whenever appropriate, take affirmative action to employ, advance in employment or otherwise treat without discrimination qualified women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era.
3. Kiwanis Day Care Center will not affiliate with nor grant recognition to any individual, group or organization having policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, veteran status or disabilities.

All employees of Kiwanis Day Care Center are required to comply with this policy in the exercise of their functions. Anyone who believes that she/he had been denied the benefits of this policy should contact the Office of Kiwanis Day Care Center.