01/04/2026
I don’t often take time to reflect on where we have been or where we are going, as I am typically focused on the urgent needs of the moment. As we begin this new year, however, it feels appropriate to pause and reflect on where we started and just how far God has brought us.
Long before High Hopes Child Care Center officially existed, our family experienced firsthand the challenges so many families face when trying to find appropriate, safe, and supportive child care. After Joshua’s birth in 2014, we quickly came to understand just how limited inclusive child care options truly were. After failing to find a child care center equipped to serve the needs of both of our children, the gap became impossible to ignore. As we searched for care that could accommodate both Abigail and Joshua, care that would meet Joshua’s needs while still allowing both children to be supported and included, we were incredibly thankful to find Ms. Jen, who cared for both Joshua and Abigail and supported our family during a critical season, continuing to do so until Covid disrupted so many child care arrangements. Her care was a gift to our family and a reminder of how powerful the right environment and the right caregiver can be.
That season of searching for appropriate care gave us a deep, personal understanding of the need, not just professionally, but as parents navigating a system that often left families feeling unseen and unsupported.
High Hopes Child Care Center was founded in 2018 after my husband and I both agreed that God was calling us to help address that need by opening an inclusive child care center, one where children with special needs could learn and grow alongside their neurotypical, non-disabled peers. We stepped forward in faith. Had we known what lay ahead, I’m not sure we would have had the courage to begin, but God, in His wisdom, reveals the path one step at a time. That calling was affirmed in a very tangible way through $600 in GoFundMe contributions from a small group of individuals who believed in this vision from the very beginning. While the amount itself was modest, the impact was not. Those early gifts gave me the determination to see this through and instilled a deep sense of responsibility to honor the trust placed in this mission when it was still just an idea.
Our vision was rooted in a simple but powerful belief. At some point in their educational journey, all children will need special or additional supports, and every child deserves to be included and supported within their local community rather than separated or segregated.
At High Hopes Child Care Center, we exist to serve families by delivering exceptional, comprehensive, and inclusive child care services in the communities in which we operate.
Between 2018 and 2022, we built our business plan and worked to bring this God-given vision to life. Along the way, we realized that our mission extended beyond what a single child care program could sustainably provide on its own. High Hopes Foundation Inc. was created to extend the heart of this mission beyond the walls of High Hopes Child Care Center. While the Foundation operates independently and does not run the child care center, it may occasionally support mission-aligned initiatives, such as scholarships or inclusive programming, when those efforts further its charitable purpose.
While our vision was clear, the journey to bring it to life was anything but easy. We trusted the wrong people, were taken advantage of, and encountered serious challenges during our build-out that included repeated delays and costs far beyond what was agreed upon, ultimately forcing us to abandon that plan and secure an entirely different location in order to move forward. Along the way, we were fortunate to work alongside some truly wonderful team members, and we also gained hard-earned wisdom through experiences and hiring decisions we would approach differently today. We have weathered difficult seasons, misunderstandings, and many unexpected challenges, but through it all, God faithfully provided for and protected us, often through the people He placed around us.
We are deeply grateful for the many family members and friends who have prayed for us, encouraged us, and stood beside us throughout this journey. We will always be thankful to the people of Bellevue Christian Center, who allowed us to open our doors in their church as they wound down their own child care ministry, to New Life Baptist Church, who welcomed us during another season of transition, and to First City Church, who have graciously allowed us to continue calling our current location at 801 Kayleen Drive home. We are also thankful for the many members of Lifespring Church and East Balsam Baptist Church who have faithfully supported this ministry through prayer. While it’s impossible to name everyone who has supported us along the way, please know that every contribution, great or small, has been deeply appreciated.
We are also incredibly thankful for the broader community that has come alongside this mission. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Sarpy for hosting and supporting the wildly successful Comedy for a Cause event this year benefiting High Hopes Foundation Inc. We are equally grateful for the support of Jennifer Peters, whose guidance and encouragement were instrumental in helping us get the Foundation started.
High Hopes Child Care Center officially opened its doors on January 1, 2022. As we begin our fifth year of service, we are incredibly grateful for God’s continued provision. We are blessed with an amazing leadership team, our Director Jamie Siciliano-Pepin and Assistant Director Kirsten Miller, and a dedicated staff who pour their hearts into the children and families we serve every day. Even on the hardest days, they show up and care for children who might otherwise go unserved.
In mid-2025, we were further blessed to expand our services to include LRI, respite, and in-home child care, and we look forward to growing this division in 2026. We enter this new year with many hopes and plans, trusting fully in the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
If you would like to join us in our mission to Give Hope, there are many ways to do so. High Hopes Child Care Center and High Hopes Foundation each play distinct roles in this work. We are always hiring at High Hopes Child Care Center for those who feel called to serve children and families through direct care, and donations to High Hopes Foundation Inc. help further its charitable mission. We are deeply thankful not only for those who believed in us at the very beginning, but also for the many generous donors who have supported High Hopes Foundation over the years.
We do not always get it right. We learn as we go, and this journey has brought many lessons, both humbling and refining. As we plan for the coming year, it remains my prayer that God will bring those who are meant to join us, remove those that would do harm, protect this ministry, and continue to grow it so that we may serve even more children and families.
Since I am a bit behind on sharing, I’ll also be posting some photos from highlights throughout this year, summer movie days and pool days, visits to Scatter Joy Acres, sending care packages to our troops, our end-of-summer bash, turning our playground into a pumpkin patch, and celebrating the season with Santa and Tinsel the Elf and ringing in the New Year!
Wishing all of our families, supporters, donors, and community partners a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
