Jane Swindle and Terri Wittrig admit they do not remember all the faces. But after 45 years at the Child Development Center at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita, Kansas, it's surprising how many adult faces they recognize as the toddlers or preschoolers they cared for long ago.
"We were going through pictures of all these years, and everyone's like, 'Jane, who is this?'" Swindle said. "And I'm like, that's so-and-so, that's so-and-so."
The women both began working at the day care center for the children of Ascension employees when it opened in 1980: Swindle from the very beginning, and Wittrig a few months later. They were both 19 and eager to start careers in child care. Swindle worked for years as a teacher for 2-year-olds, and now she's the center's manager. Wittrig is a part-time teacher of 2-year-olds.
The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, who founded St. Francis hospital in 1889, thought it was important for nurses and other employees to have somewhere for their children to be cared for while they worked, Swindle said.
The hospital opened the center on the first floor of an apartment building next to the hospital, with space for 100 children.
"They were over here all the time," said Swindle of the sisters. "They backed us 100%."
One sister who worked in administration at the hospital even lived on the third floor of the apartment building, fully supported the center, and had a nephew who attended.
"And on weekends she'd come through our classrooms and make sure they were nice and clean, everything put away," said Wittrig, laughing.
Growing and adapting
The center has expanded to the building's second floor. It now includes a full-service kitchen and an indoor play area. It is licensed to care for up to 318 children, but enrollment varies throughout the year, with about 150 enrolled this fall.
In the beginning, the center was open from 6 a.m. to midnight to accommodate nurses working the 4 p.m. to midnight shift. Now, nurses work 12-hour shifts and there is less demand for late hours. The day care is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and employs about 45 people. It offers the flexibility of paying for a minimum of two days a week.
The fact that the center is for Ascension families is a draw. Co-workers will show one another photos of the children taken with special backdrops for holidays, or photos the center uploads on an app of the children eating, playing and learning.
"And then that's when they say, 'Well, I want this child to be in this specific class. That's how I found out how this teacher teaches and handles the children,'" Wittrig said.
A family affair
The employees get to know other Ascension families and co-workers, and then it truly becomes a family affair, Swindle and Wittrig said. One employee used to dress as Santa each year for the center. "The best Santa Claus we ever had," Wittrig said. "And all his kids came here, and some of them worked here. Then we had his grandkids."
There are other benefits to being part of the hospital system: The day care uses the same food and housekeeping services, and salaries and benefits for center employees are generous. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the center reinstated its kindergarten program, which continues today. It also offers a summer program for children up to 12 years old. Swindle said children who came as babies can't wait to come back.
The Child Development Center hosted a birthday celebration this summer, and families and teachers enjoyed looking at photos from the last 45 years, seeing if they could spot familiar baby and child faces — and even younger versions of Wittrig and Swindle.
The center has high expectations for its employees, and it takes a passion for caring for kids to stay with the job, the women say. Over the years, they haven't thought about leaving, though Wittrig plans to retire next year.
They feel that by offering child care to Ascension employees, the center helps them all care for one another. "I feel like we are providing quality care so then our parents can work with those patients, and take care of those patients, and they don't worry," Swindle said.
