News 8
Our Neighbor: New Hope Learning Center 
09:49 AM CST on Thursday, November 12, 2009
LEWISVILLE — For many families, child care is necessary and expensive. For those who live in poverty, finding affordable child care is a major obstacle.
That's why First United Methodist Church of Lewisville partnered with a local charity to create New Hope Learning Center. It's a day care for low-income families.
"Often times when families are low-income, the high cost of day care causes them to sometimes leave their children in bad situations just to be able to work," said New Hope spokesman Dean Ragsdale. "Here the kids are loved, safe and well cared for."
Case workers through Christian Community Action send the parents to New Hope, where -- on average -- they pay a dollar an hour per child.
New Hope's staff is made up almost entirely of volunteers like Ragsdale who do a lot more than babysit. They follow a curriculum.
"Our kids are from six weeks old to four years old, and when the children leave here and graduate from New Hope to go to kindergarten, they're prepared to succeed," Ragsdale said.
The program started with 25 children four years ago and has expanded to include 53 youngsters. This day care has been so successful, the city of The Colony came to Ragsdale for help in opening the same type of facility.
Ragsdale said God gave him a second chance after beating cancer, and he uses this facility to show hope is alive.
"I asked for him to find a place for me to serve," he said, "and this is it."
That's why we name Dean Ragsdale and the New Hope Learning Center today's Our Neighbor.
Email cizzy@wfaa.com
