Bright Beginnings Nursery School has been a staple in the village of Fayetteville for the past 35 years, and after spending 24 years there herself, director Terry Doolittle has decided to retire and a community event will be held to celebrate her decades of service.
Bright Beginnings is a traditional nursery school that provides early childhood education programs for 3- and 4-year-old children. The school runs on a similar schedule to the surrounding public school districts, and its main purpose is to prepare children both academically and socially for a larger school environment, Doolittle said.
“We really have an emphasis on learning social and self-help skills,” said Doolittle. “A child that is beginning to read at 4 years old is wonderful, but sometimes that means they might lack in other areas like tying their shoes or zipping their own coat. And in today’s busy world, a lot of the time it’s easy for parents to do these tasks themselves and the children struggle to learn them.”
Situated on the main floor of the United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Bright Beginnings was started by parishioner Marcia Lee 35 years ago to provide an early childhood development school for families in the community. The 3-year-old program is twice a week from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the 4-year-old program runs from 9 to 11:45 a.m. either three or five days a week. Special days, such as pajama day, toilet paper day and no shoes day, among many others, are held to keep the children interested in learning, said Doolittle, and the school brings in police officers, fire fighters and other members of the public as guests to teach the children a bit more about their community.
The school has two large classrooms, with a fully-enclosed outdoor playground and a “large motor skill room” with a sand table, trampoline, bicycles and a slide.
“We know the kids have a lot of energy, so we try to get them moving as much as we can,” said Doolittle.
Doolittle, who has raised three kids herself and has six grandchildren living in the area, plans to continue to spend time with her family during retirement, but may look into occasionally working as a substitute teacher at the local school districts.
“I’m so thankful for all of the families and children that I’ve met here and seen grow throughout the years,” said Doolittle. “It’s amazing to me the growth I see in all of my students.”
Doolittle said Head Teacher Lisa Pilewski has been named the new director of Bright Beginnings and has faith the school will continue to serve the community for many years.
A retirement reception for Doolittle will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at United Methodist Church of Fayetteville on Friday, June 3. This community-wide event is open to all alumni, current families and the community of professionals and peers who have had the opportunity to work with Doolittle over through the years.
For more information about Bright Beginnings, go to fayettevilleumc.umcchurches.org.
