About a month ago, the First Presbyterian Church in Perry opened the doors to the City’s newest daycare option, lovingly referred to as the “PRESBY” Childcare Center.

Since then, the brains behind the facility have slowly been building it up, and they are accepting enrollees up to a maximum of 25 children. PRESBY Board member and Spokesperson Don Van Houweling says the idea for the center came from conversations with congregation members, who wanted to better utilize the church’s Sunday School facilities, while also bringing in newer and younger members. “So I said to myself, ‘How can we impact both the utilization of this facility, the goals of our church, and also create an outreach to our community that is badly needed?’ And as I started talking to people, it became clear that there was a need in the community for daycare facilities for youngsters through five years of age. And that’s the group that we’re supporting here.”

The center required a great deal of remodeling to bring it up to code with state child care standards. Van Houweling says the remodel was paid for through private donations, and the congregation graciously supplied the facilities at no cost. Anyone interested in enrolling their children in PRESBY is encouraged to stop by the center, located at 1328 4th Street in Perry, or call 515-465-5918. To learn more, listen to Van Houweling on today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program.