Chestnut Grove Child Development Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary Year!

Chestnut Grove Child Development Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary Year!

Nothing screams fall fun in the Four Corners area like the smell of homemade macaroni & cheese, tomato pie, pumpkin fritters, and Mrs. Jane Foard’s famous apple cake wafting through the air on a crisp, early autumn evening!

On October 3, 2014, Chestnut Grove Child Development Center proudly kicked off their 50th anniversary year with a potluck picnic. School attendees, families and church members alike gathered to rehash details of their summer break and chat about the enthusiasm that comes with a fresh box of pointy crayons and the beginning of a new school year! Some children perfected art projects, while others took a chance at the game wheel, muffin tin toss and duck prize pond. The Maryland Zoo provided a lively mobile presentation which included three Animal Ambassadors—an alligator, a turtle and an owl. Fur, Feathers and Scales—Oh my! The children learned “cool” things about herpetology and got to test their courage by sitting only feet away from a real, live alligator.

Humble Beginnings

The Chestnut Grove program was started in October 1964 as a ‘Mom’s Day Out’ by Eleanor Neal and Cosette Harger as their contribution to the Chestnut Grove Smith Center Building Fund. Class was held in one room for three hours, just one day per week, for tuition of only $1.00 per week! Throughout the past 50 years, the school name has changed from Nursery School, to Play School, back to Nursery School before evolving into its current designation as a Child Development Center. Three dedicated women have lead the school for over 40 years—Wren Moessbauer (Director from 1973- 1990), Anne Bishop (Director from 1991 to 2009) and Michelene Sottile-Jackson (Director from 2011- current). Although the number and type of class offerings, classrooms, hours of operation and costs to run the school have all increased over time, the original mission of Chestnut Grove Center Child Development Center still remains the same: to provide a nurturing, yet structured environment for children to learn through play, developing a love of learning, and preparing them for success in kindergarten and beyond.

Spring Fair – Sat. April 25

Like most area schools, Chestnut Grove relies on an active parent board and fundraisers to cover some material and classroom supply costs.In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Chestnut Grove published a commemorative cookbook, with recipes by current and alumni families and staff of the school. Remember the aforementioned homemade macaroni & cheese, tomato pie, pumpkin fritters, and apple cake? All of those recipes and many, many more are available in the limited edition book, available from the school for $12.

The biggest event of the Chestnut Grove year comes each April at the Spring Fair. Join the fun on Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 11am-3pm at the school -- rain or shine. Look for face painting, pony rides, games, crafts, photo booth, bake sale and timed cupcake walks throughout the day (think musical chairs with a sweet treat for the winner!). Theme basket raffles and more than 50 high-quality silent auction prizes are available for the adults. A 2pm cake cutting is planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary, and to honor everyone who has contributed, past and present to the success of the program. All proceeds for the Spring Fair and cookbooks will benefit the preschool.

Please contact Michelene Sottile-Jackson, Director of Chestnut Grove Childhood Development Center, at 410-592-9122, for more information regarding enrollment or questions about the preschool. Applications for the 2015-2016 school year are being accepted now for 2’s, 3’s and 4’s programs.