people in pews/lori strickland

Lori Strickland gladly sets aside her thick three-ring binder of lesson plans and outlines to spend time playing with Noah Jones and Lucas Brooks during an afternoon of Mother's Day Out.

Strickland is director of the weekly preschool program at Lynwood Baptist Church, which offers learning opportunities for children from age 1 to pre-kindergarten.

"The best part is building the relationships with the children," said Strickland, who has been a member at Lynwood for 25 years. "You see them from week to week and tell them about God's love."

On Thursday the children were learning about senses with a Bible story about Jesus' healing of blind Bartemaeus.

The "We Learn" curriculum is the same for each age group so that siblings in different classes will learn the same story. By the time children go through the entire program, they should know the basic Bible stories, Strickland said.

The lessons are theme-oriented and usually based on a monthly calendar so that February might include lessons on love and family.

Strickland spends two days each week overseeing the Mother's Day Out program at the church. The program is from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and children attend only one day each week.

Strickland arrives early each morning to make sure the rooms are ready for the 50 or so children and teachers who will spend the day. During the other days of the week, she also plans lessons and recruits teachers from the membership of the church, handles the program's financial records and shops for supplies and snacks.

The program operates on the same calendar as the Cape Girardeau School District with a short summer session. Mother's Day Out at Lynwood recently became licensed by the Missouri Department of Health.

The program doesn't operate like a day care, but does try to include play, music, Bible stories and other fun activities for the children who attend.

"We always have positive feedback" from parents, Strickland said. "There are children who love to come and cry when it's time to leave."

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