VILLAGE GREEN NURSERY SCHOOL
Our own Village Green Nursery School began as the dream of Gordon Ellis and church member, Diane Morton, when they first met in 1990. Though both were excited about it, our nursery school was not able to open until 1994. At first, the church did not have money to even consider it. The need for another nursery school in town also had to be assessed. Finally, as the church grew, and as we determined there was a need in town, the idea was floated more seriously. Diane worked tirelessly making plans, creating curriculum, consulting the state, and building a Board of Directors. Though several in our church were outspoken against the project, the vast majority supported it. Our Christian Ed. Committee agreed to share space with a nursery school in what is now our Infant/Toddler Nursery. The church voted at an Annual Meeting to “loan” our nursery school start-up funds, and Diane Morton was hired to as our first Director. Paul Rocheleau served as our first Chair of the Board of Directors, spearheading the creation of by-laws and budget, while Diane applied for state licensure. Once licensed, publicity was released and Diane offered free mini-sessions, open to the public. Registration soon began and we were underway. Therese McCallum, our current Director, was soon hired to assist Diane. VGNS took off quickly and has become one of the best, possibly the best, nursery school in town. We view it as a mission because we occasionally offer scholarships to those in need of one. Church members are given the right to register first, after returning students. When we developed plans for our 1998 addition, VGNS was allowed to identify and shape the space they currently occupy (which they still share with our Church School). Soon after, when Diane Morton was hired to create Tunxis Community College’s Early Childhood Ed. Dept., Therese McCallum became our Director. She continues to do a terrific and dedicated job for us. We are proud of VGNS and its wonderful reputation in the community.