Our Philosophy
Our philosophy is that all children pass through stages of development at their own rate. To us, your child is a unique person who needs love, security, guidance, acceptance, and encouragement on his or her journey towards independence.
This philosophy ensures the quality care, nurturing and development of the whole child. We provide an environment which promotes the emotional stability, social acceptance, physical wellbeing and developmental capabilities of each individual child. We respect each child and encourage respect in them for adults, peers, the environment, the community, and above all, themselves.
Our goal at Noah’s Ark is to provide the highest quality child care and early childhood educational programming for infants, toddlers, preschool, and school-age children of the Greater Manchester and Southern New Hampshire community.
We recognize the challenges facing working families in our community, and Noah’s Ark strives to work closely with parents to coordinate our efforts with theirs to address the needs of all of our children.
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Our Story
Formerly the child care center of the Parish of St. Francis on Brown Avenue in Manchester, Noah’s Ark Child Care Center was forced into being on February 11, 2000 – starting with the City of Manchester’s purchase of the Parish property to allow for expansion of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The Parish, planning to relocate to Litchfield in June of 2000, notified parents on March 22, 1999 that the Child Care Center would not be a part of that move.
Without the dedication of then-Executive Director Maryann Magoun, and then-Director Karen Sullivan, that would have been the end of the story. Instead, these two remarkable women, working with an extraordinary group of volunteers, parents and staff, created Noah’s Ark Child Care Center, a non-profit center, to continue to provide support and care for local families and children.
The choice of 491 East Industrial Park Drive, Noah’s current home, as the new location of the Center, was one that showed creativity and foresight. An aging warehouse in a busy industrial park wasn’t exactly a natural choice, but it was a good one. Meeting the needs of the community has always been a part of the Center’s mission – what better way to begin meeting those needs than to bring high-quality, affordable, accessible child care to the workplace by moving it next door!
With the help of the New Hampshire Community Loan Center*, Providian Bank and the building’s former owner, Robert Singer, Noah’s “Ark in the Park” became a reality. After renovating one-half of the building and performing an amazingly seamless move, without interruption of service, on December 31, 2000, the Center began the New Year in its new home. With the continued support of New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Noah’s Ark Child Care Center purchased their portion of the building in March 2002.
We are located just off Candia Road and Exit 6 of Interstate 93. The facility includes two large, sandy playgrounds and three smaller, grassy playgrounds. We occupy one-half of the large building on the corner of Holt Avenue and East Industrial Park Drive.
Our childcare program is licensed and regulated by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Bureau. A copy of current regulations is available online. Our facility and food program are also regularly inspected by the Manchester Health Department and Manchester Fire Department.
As a non-profit organization, Noah’s Ark is governed by a Board of Directors compromised of parents and community members who serve the Center in a volunteer capacity. Many Noah’s parents have served on the Board and, in fact, the Center could not operate without the ongoing commitment of its volunteers.
Noah’s Ark Child Care Center continues to serve a wonderfully diverse group of families from Manchester and the surrounding area. This diversity has been our greatest strength. Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles friends, staff and colleagues continue to help Noah’s as we grow and thrive, both physically (through chores and projects) and financially (through contributions and donations). If you think you can help in any way, get involved. All of our children will benefit.