About

The Nurturing Nest was founded in 1989 by Kim Zehnder.
As the mother of a young child, she found that quality
childcare for the infant and toddler groups was underserved
in the Miami Valley. This provided the motivation to open a
childcare center focusing on care for these groups. Eleven
years later, Mrs. Zehnder relinquished ownership, so that the
Nurturing Nest could become a not-for-profit center. She was
motivated to do this so the Nurturing Nest could benefit from
the many advantages available to not-for-profit centers. The
Nurturing Nest is now owned by its consumers, governed by
a board of trustees, and led by Administrators Kimberly
McBee and Jennifer Burlile.

The Nurturing Nest celebrates over 20 years of serving
the local community with quality child care, and in that time
has earned a number of national, state and local awards.
The Nurturing Nest is located in Butler Township and provides
early care and education to children six weeks old through
Kindergarten.
 
The program's mission is to provide quality child care to  compliment the child's home life by providing love, safety, and a sense of security. The program uses a developmentally appropriate environment to guide young children's social emotional, intellectual, and physical growth.

Services offered by the Nurturing Nest include: full day child care, a preschool program aligned with Ohio's Early Learning Content Standards, transportation to and from Vandalia's Kindergarten programs and participation in Ohio Department of Education's Child and Adult Care Food Program.


Award and Accomplishments
 
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently awarded accreditation to the Nurturing Nest through 2013. The Nurturing Nest was originally awarded accreditation in 1999, and has since maintained that status. Of the approximately 420 licensed early care and education programs in Montgomery County, about 4% are currently accredited by the NAEYC. Accreditation is a solid indicator of a high quality program.
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Bureau of Child Care and Development awarded a Star Rating to The Nurturing Nest in March of 2009 as part of the Step Up to Quality Program.
 
The Montgomery County Ready Set Soar program selected the Nurturing Nest as one of 11 focus Sites in 2008 to receive assistance in providing quality early care and education to young children.

In 2008, the Nurturing Nest was awarded THE CHILD CARE CENTER OF THE YEAR AWARD from the Dayton Association for Young Children, which includes centers throughout the Miami Valley. This is the local chapter of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC.)
 
In 2009 The Nurturing Nest was recognized as being among the top scoring child care centers in Montgomery County by being awarded the Buckeye Best Award. Healthy Child Care Ohio considers The Nurturing Nest to be a pioneer in promoting an environment that supports active play and healthful eating in young children.

     The Nurturing Nest is unique in that, at present, it is the only program
                 serving infants in the Vandalia and Butler Township area
                            which has earned these achievements.