Gill retires after three decades leading VGCC Child Care Center
Denise B. Gill of Henderson recently retired as manager of the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus. She had directed the day care center since Sept. 19, 1983.
In August, Gill’s colleagues held a reception in her honor, which was attended by numerous VGCC faculty and staff, as well as parents of children who have spent some of their formative years at the center. She reflected on how much has changed in her almost 31 years at the helm of the facility, which not only provides quality child care and education for children (aged one to four years old) but also affords an excellent environment for students in Vance-Granville’s Early Childhood Education program to gain practical training.
“Over the years, there have been monumental changes made in child care regulations at the state level,” Gill said. “The most significant has been the change to the star rated license. I am very proud of the fact that ours was one of the first child care programs in our region to achieve a five-star rated licensure, the highest awarded by the state.” The center has earned the five-star rating in five consecutive evaluations (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013).
“In addition to changes at the state level, we have seen a dramatic improvement in our program’s physical space,” Gill said. Originally located in the bottom floor of Main Campus Building 1, the center moved into a brand-new facility in the fall of 1996 in Building 6. “I was privileged to have been directly involved in the planning and construction of the new center,” she recalled. “This new facility more than doubled our previous physical space, with the additions of a fourth classroom, a multi- purpose activity room, and a larger kitchen/laundry area. We continuously hear from families that our facility matches those in much larger areas such as Raleigh and Durham.”
Despite countless changes, Gill said, much of her staff has remained constant. “Two of our four lead classroom teachers each have over 38 years of service with our program, which is almost unheard of in our profession,” she said. “I believe our low staff turnover is indicative of our program’s quality and positive work environment.”
Gill, a Meredith College graduate, said that her experience at VGCC “has been quite a journey and has allowed me to fulfill my career goals in the area of early childhood education.” She added, “I have had the opportunity to play a role in the growth and development of countless young children, from not only Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties, but from as far away as Wake and Durham counties as well. I consider myself very fortunate to have been part of such a wonderful and worthwhile program.”
Above: Denise Gill is seen here with the staff of the VGCC Child Care Center during a reception in honor of Gill’s retirement; pictured, from left, are Deborah Harris, Rhonda Pegram, Pam Harris, Gill, Hilda Cordell, Kathy Hughes and Lakeeta Vaughan. (VGCC Photo)
