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A Note to Parents from TCCC Director Kristen OSullivan

Dear Parents,

I hope this finds you well. Or well enough considering. Please know you are doing enough. There is enough newness going on in every home that it is going to be a challenge, no matter what. Now IS the time to slow the pace, look deeply into today’s activity, and be present. Children everywhere are experiencing the same lack of routine, lack of academics, lack of socialization. So there is not a hill for them to slide down. It’s a level, inclusive field. Teachers will meet the children where they are. It will be ok.

Your children need your love, joy, and company. Be mindful to show delight on your face when they walk in the room, even if frustration or defeat is the reality. Fake it if you have to because they will remember how you felt. How your expressions and tone made them feel. Not the letters you practiced after breakfast, the dishwasher yet to be emptied (again), or the laundry forgotten in the washer (again).

…For tomorrow shall care for itself.

Struggle is universal. We all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Every single one of us has a story. And no one gets out of life scot-free without the struggle. Two things: do not Compare Your Struggles and sometimes the best thing you can do is Compare Your Struggles. Here’s what I mean.

Daily bad days, pain, trials, and disappointments loom. For you, today may be one of the darkest hours or the deepest of melancholy. So go ahead, wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it and live it. For two minutes a day.

Yep, all you get is two minutes each day. Scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Make these two minutes count. Go ahead and make some noise. Because you get two minutes and then you are done. Then it is time to move on and put a pin in it for tomorrow. Tomorrow if the pain is still there–go ahead; wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it. For two minutes. 

And when the two minute timer goes off and you can’t stop the despair? If once the tears start, you can’t turn it off? Well, then it is actually time to compare. It is time to look over at the Joneses or toward the greener grasses and consider their two minutes. Have they lost a loved one? Are their children hungry or hurting? Are they alone? Are they at risk simply doing their job? Is their pain irreparable? Consider another, saying two prayers. One for others and one of gratitude. Then put a pin in til tomorrow. 

I know it’s not easy. But it is possible. Moving on daily may be tiny, but it’s a huge step you have to retake everyday. In this pandemic, you deserve your two minutes, to scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Allow it and then regard the two minutes of others. You will find humility and grace recognizing we all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Your prayers for tomorrow are always at hand, but worry is wasted. 

Care not then for tomorrow. For tomorrow shall care for itself. The day has enough with its own grief. Matthew 6:34

Kristen

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Holy Week 2019 in Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessing the Bread, the Cup
For Holy Thursday

Let us bless the bread
that gives itself to us
with its terrible weight,
its infinite grace.

Let us bless the cup
poured out for us
with a love
that makes us anew.

Let us gather
around these gifts
simply given
and deeply blessed.

And then let us go
bearing the bread,
carrying the cup,
laying the table
within a hungering world.

 

 

 

Still
For Good Friday

This day
let all stand still
in silence,
in sorrow.

Sun and moon
be still.

Earth
be still.

Still
the waters.

Still
the wind.

Let the ground
gape in stunned lamentation.

 

 

Blessing for a Broken Vessel
For Holy Saturday

Do not despair.
You hold the memory
of what it was
to be whole.

It lives deep
in your bones.
It abides
in your heart
that has been torn
and mended
a hundred times.
It persists
in your lungs
that know the mystery
of what it means
to be full,
to be empty,
to be full again.

I am not asking you
to give up your grip
on the shards you clasp
so close to you

but to wonder
what it would be like
for those jagged edges
to meet each other
in some new pattern
that you have never imagined,
that you have never dared
to dream.

 

 

Seen
For Easter Day

You had not imagined
that something so empty
could fill you
to overflowing,

and now you carry
the knowledge
like an awful treasure
or like a child
that curls itself
within your heart:

how the emptiness
will bear forth
a new world
you cannot fathom
but on whose edge
you stand.

So why do you linger?
You have seen,
and so you are
already blessed.
You have been seen,
and so you are
the blessing.

There is no other word
you need.
There is simply
to go
and tell.
There is simply
to begin.

 

 

Blessings by Jan Richardson.

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TCCC Director Report: One Year

What I’ve Learned in a Year: Kristen O’Sullivan

This time last year I was focused on getting to know the kids of TCCC and their parents.  It is interesting looking back at which of the children reached out first. Not the extroverted ones necessarily. More often it was the ones that maybe needed a little bit of shelter in a classroom full of friends. When I visit a class in the midst of their activities and constant action, I’m not wanting to interrupt and so the child that’s maybe not in full swing or is feeling a bit of discord is the one I end up drawn to.  And what joy it is to steal a few minutes with someone that just wants a cuddle or quiet conversation. Wow, do I love them.

They make my day, everyday.  I’ve said on many occasions that I drive home with a smile on my face.  I don’t need to unwind or let go of stress — during the day I get to go sit with a child that asks for nothing more than a cradle or a tiny loving moment.  When I arrived at Tabs last January, the children were wide open and they simply just reached out and I got to be there for them. And so everyday when I drive home with that smile on my face it’s because I know what a blessing that is.  

In today’s world we are faced with conflicts that we can’t fix.  We can’t mend the social injustices, we can’t heal the sick child, we can’t halt a devastating storm, we can’t unite a family torn apart…and we’re left feeling helpless, our hands tied, horrible inside.  Yet here I am, blessed daily. I get to go to work and I get to be there for someone.  Someone super cute, super small, who doesn’t judge and doesn’t expect.  I get to steal a moment with someone that has no agenda and be there, and the world out there isn’t quite as horribly sad.

This year, I am reminding myself of all things I get to do. All the chores, all the tasks, all the mundane….I get to do for my girls, my home, my work (my kids).  I get to, because I am blessed with all of those things, actually, especially those things.

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TCCC Report: January 2019

TABERNACLE CHILD CARE CENTER (TCCC) REPORT: Kristen OSullivan

2018 was an exciting year for TCCC as we welcomed our new Director, Kristen OSullivan in January, upon the retirement of Frances Thrift after her 26 years of devoted leadership and ministry. Highlights of this transitional and transformative year including the following.

January 2018

  • The children of TCCC began attending weekly Chapel. Facilitators include the child care director and church pastoral staff.
  • A monthly bible verse promoting the teachings and education within the classroom unifying the message each month by staff of the church and center was implemented.
  • Epi-pen and allergy training was conducted for all staff. Emergency allergy information was posted in all classrooms where necessary.
  • Emergency Go-Kits were created to house emergency supplies and documents needed to go with staff during any emergency incident.
  • Digital database for families and enrolled children was created.

February 2018

  • Pre-K hosted its 100 Day of School Party.
  • Emergency Policy and Procedure Binders were created and added to all classrooms and the church office.
  • Staff participated in full day professional development taking a full day to become certified in CPR/First Aid.
  • New statewide fingerprinting process was implemented requiring all existing employees participate in fingerprinting program through FieldPrint.

March 2018

  • TCCC was granted a special use permit providing a waiver from City zoning requirements.
  • Exit doors were added to all classrooms as required by licensure and in preparation of increasing occupancy.
  • Staff participated in professional development/training focused on positive reinforcements/incentives and logical/natural consequences.
  • TBC hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt attended by many TCCC families.

April 2018

  • TCCC staff member Catherine Chop completed training to be the Certified Food Manager.
  • Staff participated in professional development/training focused food and nutritional safety procedures.

May 2018

  • A new certificate of occupancy was awarded to accommodate up to 80 children and 28 staff.
  • TCCC celebrated its teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. The parents helped to treat the teachers to lunches, snacks, and coffee throughout the week.
  • The 2017-18, Pre-K class held their graduation ceremony at the end of May. Families, church members, previous staff, and former director Frances Thrift were in attendance. Portraits were completed by Sterling and presented to the children as gifts from the church during the ceremony.

June 2018

  • HVAC: new units were installed for the Williams Building first floor. These costs were covered by the child care center.
  • Smoke Alarms were updated throughout the 1st and 2nd floors of the WIlliams Building.
  • TCCC’s Leave Policy was updated, including the addition of a Parental Leave Policy.
  • TCCC’s Paid Time Off (PTO) and carry-over policy was fine-tuned, with online tracking of earned time and an addendum added to the Employee Personnel Manual.

July 2018

  • A Scholarship Committee was formed as a sub-committee of the TCCC Ministry Committee.
    • A Scholarship Mission statement was developed.
    • A Scholarship Agreement was developed and shared with three potential scholarship families. All three children accepted the offer. Other families were contacted, but transportation to and from the center on a daily basis was a hindrance.
    • The Scholarship Committee will continue building a process timeline to establish practices and protocol for the 2019-2020 academic year.
  • In January, full time employees were offered the opportunity to earn an additional employment bonus based on six months of employment and positive performance appraisals at the conclusion of the new director’s six months in service. In July, ten out of eleven employees remained employed during the transition period and received bonuses to recognize the added efforts and support they have shown.
  • Tadpoles, a communication and record keeping software program based on iPads, was piloted in two classrooms.
  • Rock Band hosted by Grove Avenue Piano was offered as an afternoon enrichment program for the summer.
  • TCCC incorporated eco-friendly sugarcane paper products such as snack bowls and plates.

August 2018

  • Pre-K and Yellow Room classes participated in group swim lessons via the YMCA, transportation by the Richmond City busses.
  • Pre-K and Yellow Room classes completed a neighborhood scavenger hunt ending in a pizza party at nearby Joe’s Inn.
  • Building permit was issued for William’s Building entryway.
  • A new floor was installed in the kitchen as required for the Richmond Health Department for child care licensing purposes. TCCC and the church shared this project’s cost equally.
  • Digital exit-interview offered to previously employed personnel was developed.
  • Staff participated in professional development/training focused on child development and behaviors, specifically biting and preventative measures.

September 2018

  • Due to increased rigor in education practices and a demand in services, TCCC expanded programming to offer a Junior Kindergarten classroom for older 4 and 5-year-olds, beginning September 2018.
    • There are now two classrooms, each with a licensed teacher and one assistant on the second floor of the Williams Building.
    • An open house for the Pre-K and JK was held in August to meet the new teachers and answer questions.
    • The JK room was painted, furniture was refinished, and the new classroom was opened.
  • A new sandbox was added to the playground to make way for row house renovations and TCCC new entry. The TCCC storage shed was relocated.
  • After piloting, Tadpoles was deemed a positive resource. iPads were purchased for each class and staff began training and using the program.
  • Yoga was added as an enrichment program.
  • Henrico County and the City of Richmond were hit with several tornadoes and the area was under tornado warnings. TCCC staff and children took shelter in various church and center locations for the duration of the event.

October 2018

  • TCCC staff hosted the annual Fall Festival, offering games, music, and snacks for all the families of TCCC.
  • Fawn Tin Par became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Her ceremony took place on 10.17.2018 and was attended by TCCC staff and church members.
  • Staff participated in professional development/training focused on human/child rights.
  • A new wall added to the center to create an entryway/lobby area entering to the playground that will serve as the new entry moving forward. Lights were added.
  • New mulch was added to the playground.

November 2018

  • A parenting seminar was hosted by TCCC for all families and church members. Susan Holt of Everyday Parenting Solutions spoke on the topic of parenting with boundaries.
  • A small gate was added to the back blacktop fencing. Playground fencing and gate was repaired. These costs will be covered by the child care center.
  • A new door was added to the lobby and the previous entry to Grove was closed permanently.
  • New Job Descriptions were approved and individuals were hired to fill the positions for Facilities Manager and 2nd Floor Janitor.
  • FunBus began additional enrichment classes for the Blue Room children aged 18 months to two years.
  • Digital request of recommendation for potential employee was developed.

December 2018

  • TCCC hosted its annual Christmas Pageant followed by snacks and hot cocoa, with a date change due to inclement weather.
  • The sleeping nooks in the baby room were painted.
  • A new door in the hall to Yellow Room was added given children direct access to bathrooms.
  • WiFi upgrade in the Williams Building to enhance the users’ experience with Tadpoles is in process.
  • With the addition of iPads in each classroom, digital versions of labor law posters, the Parent Handbook, Employee Personnel Manual, and program procedures and policies were added to an employee drive.
  • The church approved TCCC’s 2019 operating budget of $908,548, which assumes a 2019 enrollment of 79 children (including 4 Pre-K, JK scholarship students). TCCC’s year-end 2018 financial reports are available elsewhere in this document.

Respectfully submitted,
Kristen OSullivan, TCCC Director

TCCC Ministry Committee: Donna Soyars and Mollie Barton, church representatives; Faith Alejandro and Johnna Woods, parent representatives.

TCCC Administrative Committee: Kathy Allen and Jim Soyars, church representatives; David Brown and Jaime Wisegarver, parent representatives.

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TCCC Renovation Updates

The Ministry and Administrative Committees have an exciting update to cosmetic changes that will be taking place at TCCC over the next couple of months!  As the church preserves and renovates the row houses, TCCC’s main entrance will be switched from its current location in between the row houses to the door that currently leads into the Yellow Room from the blacktop.  Here’s what will be happening, as reflected in the drawing of the new layout, below:

  • The Yellow Room entrance wall will be moved to define the new entranceway from the blacktop. Two doors will be added to the altered Yellow Room. 
  • The toy shed in the playground will be moved in the evening so as not to disrupt the childrens’ play time.
  • A new sandbox area will be created in another location in the playground

The building permit to complete this entranceway work is pending, with the goal of doing as much as possible before Labor Day so the new entranceway is ready well before any work begins to the row houses. The rowhouse renovations may begin as early as September.  The church’s Special Use Permit application for that work remains pending but all signs indicate that the application is proceeding toward approval (thanks to TCCC parent, Sean Hicks!).  

We will update parents about how this will affect Sunday mornings in the nursery as soon as we have more information about when the work will happen.  If you have any questions, please contact Kristen or anyone on the Administrative and Ministry Committees.  Thank you for you ongoing support!