By Jan Culbertson
In 1993-94, as treasurer of the Child Care Connection (CCC) Board, I participated in many discussions about the challenges working families faced due to the lack of all-day kindergarten and aftercare programs in public schools. Like many parents, we wondered how we would maintain a work-life balance when our children entered school.
When Michigan passed legislation allowing charter schools, Leslie Fry—director of Child Care Connection—seized the opportunity. Together with Shellee Almquist, they poured their hearts into founding Honey Creek Community School, with strong support from parents. In those early years, Child Care Connection managed the aftercare and summer camp programs for Honey Creek. I vividly remember creating the school’s first budget—a total SWAG (scientific wild guess)—but we made it work, thanks in part to the financial sacrifices Shellee and Leslie were willing to make.
Many CCC families enrolled their children at Honey Creek or participated in its summer programs. My son, Chris Culbertson—now a Honey Creek middle school teacher—joined the school in its inaugural year, 1995, and attended through 5th grade. His younger brother, Josh, attended Honey Creek from kindergarten through 8th grade. My involvement with the school spanned 12 years, and I still cherish the beautiful book of thanks the community gave me when Josh and I "graduated."
A few years after Honey Creek was established, Child Care Connection closed and sold its property on Miller Road near M-14. That property, which still operates as a childcare facility, provided the seed money for the Honey Creek Community School Foundation. This foundation has grown over the years and continues to supplement the school’s funding as originally intended. After Child Care Connection dissolved, Honey Creek took over managing its aftercare and summer programs.
Honey Creek was founded as—and remains—a unique community. Its importance was powerfully demonstrated to me by a fellow board member who, as she was dying of breast cancer, shared that she found comfort in knowing her family would be supported by the Honey Creek community. That truly says it all.
The school was envisioned as a place where working families could thrive, combining a multi-age, thematic, project-based curriculum that nurtures the whole child with integrated aftercare and summer programs. Nearly 30 years later, Honey Creek continues to fulfill this vision, serving as both an exceptional educational institution and a supportive community for its families.
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