Like most rural areas and small communities in the Carolinas, Pembroke, N.C., doesn’t offer a lot of choices for parents seeking high-quality day care for their young children. That’s why Billie Hunt and her husband Steven got on the waiting list for a space as soon as she became pregnant with their daughter Sarah. The for-profit center that their son Seth attended didn’t prove to be quite what the Hunts had hoped, so they decided to pursue care with the center operated by Sandy Plains United Methodist Church. Sandy Plains UMC opened its center in 1997, and it has received regular grant support from The Duke Endowment. The center quickly developed a strong reputation for its high-quality care and nurturing staff. That reputation is what attracted the Hunts, who have a family member who belongs to the Sandy Plains congregation. Hunt has high praise for the center and its programs. “I have raved about the quality of programs offered at Sandy Plains,” she says. “They don’t have a lot of staff turnover, and they are able to offer a lot more for the children than a for-profit center.” She is particularly enthusiastic about the center’s emphasis on promoting spiritual and religious values, which Hunt believes is important for young children. Hunt also thinks not-for-profit programs may have an advantage over for-profit ones, and not just in terms of obtaining grant support. “It seems like it’s not the same if you’re in it to make money,” she says. “Here, the members at Sandy Plains just came together to do this as a way of ministering to the community. “Child care here is a ministry, not a business, and I think that makes a difference.” | 
