As someone who had decided to start a family earlier than most, I was fortunate to have Pampa Learning Center take me in and comfort me at my most vulnerable moment and give me an alternative academic option that was suitable for my hectic schedule.
They visited me in the hospital after I gave birth to my wonderful daughter and gave me the time I needed to recover and adjust to my new life as a teen mom, sending instructors to my home to check in on me and my newborn while still providing me the education I needed to move forward.
Just when I thought my heart would burst with the outpouring of love and support I received from the entire faculty of PLC, it wasn’t until I was able to return back to school that I realized the daycare associated with PLC, Bright Beginnings, was truly an unsung hero.
Just like when family and close friends are excited to see a new bundle of joy, the staff at Bright Beginnings was just as excited to welcome their newest little addition.
Every day that I picked up Barb (my daughter), she was always so very happy and engaged in the little projects the instructors had her involved with.
They celebrated her birthday when it rolled around and made sure to take pictures and save every little sweet thing she had made for the day for me.
Although the teachers that were at Bright Beginnings between 2005-2007 when my daughter was attending are no longer there, the love and tender care for these tiny tots is still at the forefront of everything they stand for.
Within the past few years, Bright Beginnings has expanded their services to not just the students with littles, but for teachers in the district as well, relieving these cherished educators of the stress of childcare.
Shelby Boyd, Director of Bright Beginnings, has been working with the youth for most of her career, from daycares to Pampa Learning Center-and according to her, she doesn’t feel like she’s worked a day in her life because of how much she loves what she does and has been able to do.
“I love it and I’m getting to do what I’ve always loved doing,” Boyd said.
“I taught for a very long time and one of my passions is supporting the teachers especially when it comes to curriculum and classroom management and stuff like that. So several years back, I went ahead and sought getting my director’s license so I could get into that kind of a position and help out and offer support.”
Boyd started her life-long passion of working with kids during her time with the daycare at First Baptist Church in Pampa.
From there she started her own at-home daycare registered through the state for several years while doing children’s ministry and volunteering with the youth group at the church she was attending at the time.
After Boyd’s own children were of school-age, she made the decision to get back into the workforce and went to Pampa Learning Center where she spent five years before being offered the job as director at Bright Beginnings.
But the decision to leave PLC wasn’t an easy one.
“I loved my job at PLC so much,” Boyd said fondly. “I was serving teenagers. I was listening to them and hearing their stories and always tried to be a smiling face they saw when they walked through the door. That can set you up for the rest of the day. I’m present. I’m listening. What you say matters. I wanted the students to know that they’re all valued there.”
“One of my favorite phrases that has spoken to me for a long time is be the adult that you needed when you were a kid. Going through my own tough times and my rock bottom in junior high and high school, I had some adults that stepped up and helped me and supported me a great deal.”
Although Boyd was a bit reluctant to leave the place she loved, the position at Bright Beginnings merged all of her passions into one job and allowed Boyd to put her director’s license to use.
With this being Boyd’s first year at Bright Beginnings, she got to witness the transition of the beloved daycare and preschool into the Woodrow Wilson Elementary campus, giving a fresh start to the new director in a new location.
Tina Tibbets, who has been with Bright Beginnings for seven years believes that the merge into Wilson Elementary has so far been nothing but positive.
“We are all like family and I love it. All the great experiences and all the good things that happen here, we all get to enjoy that,” Tibbets said.
With the new transition, the love and support is reciprocated by the entire faculty of Wilson and Bright Beginnings while still maintaining their own independence, allowing Bright Beginnings to still accomplish what it always set out to do in the way they’ve always done it.
“It’s a big deal to all of us. We’re all here because we want to support those parents and because we want to love on these babies,” Boyd said.
“We have a great staff and great kids and families. It’s just been a huge blessing. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. There’s that phrase know why you’re doing what you’re doing. We all know what our why is. We’re all here to help.”
