Alice's Playground Center
701 A South Grove Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Staff Requirements
Call Us Today!
828-697-9449
Staff must have: CPR & First Aid training, ITS SIDS training, Emergency Preparation & Emergency Preparedness training, Hand-washing/Diapering training, Playground Safety, Abuse & Neglect training, on-line Health & Safety training.
The staff of Alice's Playground Center has work related experience and education through Blue Ridge Community College to achieve their EDU-119 Credentials,(Infant Toddler or Pre-School Classes Certificate)and Associate Degrees in Early Childhood Care.
The staff have hands on educational guidance and training from Child Care Resources and Referral, Smart Start, and the Health Department. The staff of this center works together as a group of individuals whose goals are the same as the director:
"To Love and Respect the children and everyone who is involved in the care of that child."
Alice M. Dunbar - The Road from a "4-star" Home CareCenter to a "4-star "ChildDaycare Center
The spring of 1997 brought both joy and hardship for Alice and Louis Dunbar. The announcement that Alice's current employment at "Quincy's Family Steakhouse" was ending and its operation in Hendersonville was closing. This news gave Alice the strong desire to pursue a dream of operating a daycare facility. Together, Alice and Louis pulled their resources and opened a home daycare. In May of 1998 they became a "4-star licensed" homecare operation and were licensed for 6-12 children. In the spring of 2001 the dream became bigger as they started another phase of growing with the daycare and moved from their home to the current location on now what is called South Grove Street and at the time they were licensed for 65 children. Alice's Playground Center was named for Ms. Alice's grandmother, Alice Bell Ware, who is also Ms. Alice's namesake. Alice Bell Ware was a hard working, energetic and caring person and the mother of 9 children. It takes that type of person to work in childcare.
During the move the business the daycare lost its star rating. In the daycare business you cannot transfer your license from one location to another. Alice and Louis began training the staff again to ensure that they had the same vision that gave the "4-Star" license at the new site. In May of 2002 the center became a "2-Star' rated facility licensed for 75 children and in May of 2006 the center earned a "3-Star" rated license and became licensed for 90 children.
Shortly after, in July 2006, tragedy struck and Ms. Alice took a hard hit when Mr. Louis passed away. This daycare center was his dream for his wife. He knew how much she loved working with children and keeping them safe for at least
9-hours a day. Ms. Alice continued to work hard to achieve the dream that she and Mr. Louis had of running a "4-Star" daycare center. So here we are now licensed for 90 children and a "4-Star" Daycare Center. The road to get here has been very hard. The staff that works here needs to be the type that cares for their work environment as well as the children and families that come through the doors. The staff understands we are here for the working parents, grand-parents, aunts and uncles just the people who are needing a safe, healthy, educational environment for their children through out the day.
