by Jan Dixon
Special to The Leaven
LENEXA — “Discover the Joys of Growing & Learning.”
Fifty years ago, those words appeared on a sign outside Holy Trinity’s new child-care center in Lenexa.
They expressed a simple hope: that young children would have a place to learn and grow while being welcomed, nurtured and cared for.
That hope remains at the heart of Holy Trinity Early Childhood Center, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Early years
For Barbara Sanders, the center’s first director, the story began with a parish community determined to serve.
“Holy Trinity families stepped up to make this child-care center a reality,” Sanders said. “The parish had responded with such generosity — donations of toys, children’s games and furniture poured in.
“We wanted the child-care center to be a place where parents felt confident that their children would be welcomed and nurtured.”
When the center opened in 1976, 30 children were enrolled in half-day and full-day programs. Most were younger siblings of children already attending Holy Trinity School.
The center’s first home was a three-story structure that looked more like an older apartment complex than a modern early childhood facility. Over the years, the building had served as living quarters for religious Sisters, housing for a Vietnamese immigrant family and parish offices.
The second floor became classrooms, while the bottom floor housed storage and provided a napping area. As enrollment grew, an exterior exit door was added to the back of the building, allowing the storage area to be converted into a kitchen and creating room for the program to expand.
From those first 30 children, the center has grown into a ministry that has touched generations of Holy Trinity families.
Continued support
Today, Kathleen Wallace serves as director. During her seven years at the center, nearly 800 children have attended.
“Yes, I counted,” Wallace said with a smile.
That number represents more than enrollment statistics, Wallace said.
“Imagine how many children have laughed, cried, prayed, learned and grown here over the past 50 years!” she said.
For Wallace, the center’s longevity is a testament to the community that has supported it.
“We’ve continued because of the loving, supportive communities we are fortunate to be a part of — our parishioner community, the Lenexa community and the community of archdiocesan early education centers,” she said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
Formed in faith
Although the center has evolved over five decades, its Catholic identity remains central to its mission.
Scott Merfen, principal of Holy Trinity School, said the early childhood center is an important part of the parish’s larger mission because it begins forming children in the Catholic faith at an early age.
“The EEC’s most important contribution is the opportunity to teach and catechize our children from an early age,” Merfen said. “Through prayer and daily experiences surrounded in faith, we help children begin to understand who they are as children of God and how they are called to live their faith.”
One important development in the center’s recent history has been the use of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
“Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been a real game changer in our program,” Wallace said. “It helps create a faith bond with the Holy Trinity community.”
The goal is not simply to teach children about their faith, but to help them experience it as part of their daily lives.
“We hope the legacy of the early education center is that it has helped generations of children begin to know, love and serve God from their earliest years,” Merfen said.
That legacy can be seen in former students who continue to participate actively in the parish community, he added.
Legacy of love
For those who work with young children, the impact of the EEC goes both ways. The children are being formed, and they’re also leaving a lasting impression on the adults who care for them.
“Working with young children redefines your understanding of what a family can be and what love can look like,” Wallace said.
Although children may remain in the program for only a few years, the relationships often endure.
“Once a child grows out of our program, we may never see them or their family again, but our love for them never goes away,” Wallace said.
That love is perhaps the clearest measure of the center’s 50-year legacy. Its story is not really about a building, a classroom or an enrollment number. It’s about generations of children who began their educational and spiritual journeys there.
As the center looks to the future, its mission remains much the same: to provide a place where children are known, loved and encouraged to grow.
