Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 30, 2004 edition of the Inland Register)

The long-awaited, brand-new, and state-of-the-art St. Anne Children and Family Center, located at 25 W. Fifth Ave. in Spokane, will open its doors on Monday, Oct. 4 at 6 a.m.

A collaboration between Catholic Charities, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Gonzaga University, St. Anne and its talented staff will offer quality, affordable child-care for 200 children in the Spokane community. The public is welcome to join Catholic Charities staff and St. Anne’s staff, parents and children for a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Oct. 11 at the center.

The new 20,000-square foot building has been a dream for years and a work in progress for over a year.

“The St. Anne Children and Family Center had a rich history of responding to the needs of children and families but found itself significantly limited in the service that could be provided because of the (old) building’s age and configuration,” said Donna Hanson, Director of Catholic Charities. “The Catholic Charities Board sees (the new center) as a way to serve children and families for another century.”

Members of the Relocation Committee for St. Anne Children and Family Center visited the work site last July. Pictured, from left: Rob McCann, Sandi Wilson, Judy Hudson, Donna Hanson, Barb Umbdenstock, Bonnie Deabler, Lee Williams, Mary Ann Marciel, Joyce Murphy, Catherine Ryder, Phil Kercher, Wendell Sinn, Ann Martin, and Tim Welsh. Not pictured: Msgr. Frank Bach, Jill Christiansen, Ron Clark, VaLena Curran, Joanne Duffy, Dianna Eickoff, Dan Murphy, Mary Ritter-Heitkemper, Sue Weitz, and Loreen McFaul. (IR photo from Catholic Charities)

Hanson said that Catholic Charities recognizes the lack of quality child-care available to families in the United States and sees St. Anne as a response to that need. “We all know that children flourish in a loving, secure environment,” she said, “yet the public policy in this country does not support with quality child care the requirement or necessity that parents place their young children in child care so that they can work, go to school or be in training if they receive public assistance. In my 40 years of social service, I have seen at least three generations of children who have not received the love and support they need to flourish as human beings and succeed when they begin school. Children deserve better.”

After months of research and fund-raising, Catholic Charities gathered a talented team of designers and builders to create a facility that would provide a safe, nurturing, warm and welcoming learning environment where children can explore their surroundings and engage in activities that encourage their physical, emotional and mental growth.

In September of 2003, they broke ground on Fifth Ave. and began to create a building that would meet and surpass the needs and desires of children and their families.

Each classroom in St. Anne is designed specifically for the age group it will serve and includes floor to ceiling windows providing plenty of natural light, and a password protected Web-cam so parents can log on during their work day and check in on their children.

The infant rooms provide plenty of room for crawling and rolling around, cribs, changing tables, refrigerators to house bottles and other infant food and bright, colorful walls, counters and furniture.

The older infant, toddler and preschool rooms are a bit bigger so rambunctious children have room to play. They also come with sinks and toilets at just the right height for curious tots as they begin to crave a little bit more independence.

The new center also houses two indoor play areas, three outdoor play areas, and a covered roof top play area, as well as a brightly decorated kids’ kitchen where children will have the opportunity to prepare food and partake in other hands-on projects. The kids’ kitchen is located just off of the main commercial kitchen where a full-time chef will create healthy meals and snacks for the children based on a USDA-approved food plan. The kitchen is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and children are served breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack.

St. Anne’s teachers have experience in the child-care field and are thoroughly screened. Lead teachers are responsible for designing lesson plans to keep the children engaged and learning during their hours at the center, and the teachers are given prep time to do so. When they enroll their children, parents are asked to provide detailed information about their child’s schedule, likes and dislikes, as well as a list of goals for their child. “The detailed information, as well as parent conferences, helps the teachers to create unique individual curriculum for each child,” said Lee Williams, the director of the new facility.

Sacred Heart’s Cuddles ‘n Care Program will also expand and relocate into the St. Anne building. The program benefits mildly ill children, too sick to go to school or day-care. Parents pre-enroll their kids in the program so the children have a place to go if mom or dad cannot get away to pick them up.

Architect Ann Martin utilized a curved radius to match design requirements to the landscape for the new St. Anne Children and Family Center. (IR graphic from Catholic Charities)

St. Anne boasts the most state-of-the-art security system available. “We have the best security money can buy,” said Rob McCann, Associate Director of Catholic Charities. In addition to the web-cams in each classroom, the center is capable of a total lockdown with just a push of the button. Each classroom is equipped with an intercom system so teachers can call for help or ask for assistance without leaving the room. Every door to the outside is locked and equipped with an alarm so that if a child manages to push the door open without a teacher disarming it, the alarm will go off. “This way, no child can possibly slip outside unnoticed,” said Williams. Parents and staff enter the building through keyless entry.

Kelli Sweitzer, a first grade teacher at St. Mary School in the Spokane Valley, has enrolled her four-month-old son Kaden at St. Anne. She and her mother, Sheelagh, have toured the center twice and are very pleased with the new facility.

“I’m really excited about the new building,” said Sweitzer. “I’ve been pleased will all the information about it and I love that I’ll be able to check on him during the day with the Web-cam.”

Sweitzer is also very happy about the tight security system. She said she feels better about leaving her son somewhere where she knows he’ll be safe. Kaden will begin full-time child care at St. Anne on Oct. 4.

Students from Gonzaga University’s Department of Education will be actively present at the center, along with St. Anne staff. Many of the classrooms are equipped with observation rooms so that parents, teachers, and Gonzaga students can peek in on the children through one-way mirrors without disturbing the classroom environment.

Students from Gonzaga, Whitworth and Spokane Falls Community College will also do work study at St. Anne.

St. Anne Children and Family Center will be available for families on a private-pay basis and for those receiving Working Connection Child Care (WCCC) through the state. The 18 WCCC children currently located in the old St. Anne location, at 707 N. Cedar St., will also move into the new center.

Catholic Charities Development Director Loreen McFaul has been working around the clock to raise money to support the $3.9 million center. Sacred Heart Medical Center donated the land for the new center, as well as $250,000. Other sizeable donations came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The State of Washington Office of Commerce, Trade and Economic Development and the WREN revocable trust. “Over 500 people and organizations have made donations,” said McFaul.

“In addition, there are thousands of people who have been praying for the success of this project and who have provided their support in its development,” said Hanson.

Though most of the donations have been made by Catholics, McFaul said that approximately 85 percent of those who utilize Catholic Charities services are not Catholic. “Our motto is ‘Need, not Creed’,” she said.

St. Anne Children and Family Center has a long history of dedicated care for children in Spokane. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Collins donated the original building on Cedar St. in 1943 with the understanding that it would always be used for children. Since then, St. Anne has been a daycare center for working mothers during World War II, temporary residential care for babies and children waiting to be adopted, a maternity home for pregnant single mothers, a residential care center for multiple-handicapped children, and most recently has been home to a Child Development program, offering affordable, quality child-care for families in the Spokane community.

Catholic Charities and St. Anne staff look forward to the opening of the newly expanded building.

“Our job is to serve the children and their families,” said Williams. “This facility is designed to do just that.”