The mission of Lincoln Learning Center is to be a leader in providing quality child development services to the community in a nurturing, safe and healthy environment through the team effort of a well-trained, competent staff; to work collaboratively with other departments at Lincoln and other community human services agencies to meet the health care and social needs of children while promoting family well-being and self-sufficiency.
Our History
1939 - Desert Mission's commitment to child care began with a nursery school housed in one of the small cottages on the Desert Mission grounds.
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1950 - The Helen C. Lincoln Day Nursery was constructed to replace the old Desert Mission nursery building, which the Mission had outgrown. The nursery was built through the generosity of Mrs. Lincoln.
1988 - The Helen C. Lincoln Day Nursery outgrew its small space at Second Street and Hatcher Road, spurring the building and opening of Lincoln Learning Center. The Adult Day Health Care Center moved from its location inside the main hospital building into a wing of the Learning Center, providing opportunities for intergenerational activities.
1994 - Lincoln Learning Center began a Head Start program — a comprehensive pre-school education program giving at-risk children a "head start" on their education — making John C. Lincoln Hospital the only hospital in Phoenix to support a program of this kind.
1998 - The "Raising Hope, Building Futures" capital campaign raised $4 million to expand the Lincoln Learning Center facility and created an endowment to continue the work at Lincoln House to end child abuse and neglect.
2005 - The Head Start program was relocated to the Washington Elementary School District campus.
2007 - Lincoln Learning Center becomes one of the first to be nationally accredited under new NAEYC guidelines, which involved meeting new program standards and over 400 criteria. Based on these changes, Lincoln Learning hired a Child Care Health Consultant to join their team of early childhood professionals.