About Us
Ministerial Day Care Association was founded in the summer of 1965 by a group of local clergymen, who were committed to effecting positive change in the lives of children and families in Cleveland’s Inner city.
It was the brain child of Rev. Sterling E. Glover, who along with the Rev. Emmanuel Branch and Rev. A.T. Rowan, opened the doors of their churches for Head Start centers.
In 1969, Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland under Ralph Findlay agreed to fund the centers.
The main goal of the organization was to provide quality, inexpensive day care services for mothers on ADC enrolled in job training programs, low-income mothers and other families needing day care. The committee of church ministers was determined that the program had to be much more than a babysitting service. They wanted a program that would truly help children and families. They created a mission statement that still holds true today.
Every Child Deserves Quality Child Care
MDCA strives to be the best day care/Head Start and child development agency. To this end, we do everything we can:
To provide opportunities for developing the social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of young children. To provide quality child care systems to low- and moderate-income families.
To provide opportunities for children and parents to attain success.
To enable and encourage parents, families and staff to attain self-sufficiency.
To strive to be the bridge that encourages children, parents and staff to be the BEST they can be.
Past directors have been Dorothy Cheeks, Esther Clayton, Alvernice Blandon, Ron Foster, William Booker, S.E. Glover, Hurrell Smith and Ron Henighan.
Verneda Bentley is the current executive director.
Since 1969, MDCA-Head Start has served about 25,000 children.
