The first day of school arrives with excitement, anticipation, and maybe a few tears. Parents snap photos while students hold up “First Day of School” signs, perhaps for the very first time. During the year, they’ll learn through play and build social and emotional skills. But what you’ll find most at Kids at the Creek Preschool and Kindergarten is something deeper, something tucked into the heart of its name: community. From their very first “Circle Time” to the big June send-off, these halls are filled with laughter, discovery, and friendships that last far beyond these walls. They’re playing tag in the lobby or sharing the day’s project with their grandparent who came to pick them up. They’re soaring; these vibrant and jovial kids who’ve learned some beautiful life essentials.

For two decades, Kids At The Creek has been a place where time seems to stand still. Inside the Gold Creek Community Church building in Mill Creek, the Kids At The Creek Preschool hallways hold something special—a little bit of magic and a whole lot of memories. Stepping foot inside can give alumni families the effect of traveling back in time to their childs precious preschool years.

Over the past 20 years, KATC has established a welcoming and memorable presence in the community with roughly 10,000 students moving through their programs. It is home to classes for Tiny 2’s all the way up through Kindergarten. The school not only lays a solid foundation for students’ academic years, but children also gain a foothold on other life essentials and skills: discovery and exploration, kindness towards classmates, building friendships, and caring for their community. Sign language and foreign languages have also offered enrichment learning in the classroom, allowing students to grow and flourish in their communication skills. Along the way, they’ve learned more than just letters and numbers.

Community is a clear core value of Kids at the Creek, as evident in events such as Christmas concerts, science fairs, fire safety classes, art walks, STEM nights, and graduation ceremonies. Partnering with the Preschool periodically, the Hope Creek Charitable Foundation, which resides in the parking lot of Gold Creek Community Church, hosts food and toiletry drives, during which many Kids At the Creek families generously donate. In turn, Hope Creek has provided garden beds for the Preschool to teach students the value of where food comes from, its life cycle, and how to nurture a garden. Kids at the Creek was also honored with a garden grant from the Mill Creek Garden Club in hopes to continue enriching young students’ minds and build motor skills through a love of gardening. It is through wonderful partnerships like these that continue to make Kids At The Creek Preschool and Kindergarten stand out in the Mill Creek community.

The heart of Kids At The Creek is its people. Many teachers have been here for over a decade, shaping lives and celebrating milestones. They’ve laughed, learned from each other, and even cheered when former students walked back through the door for another school year or a visit. To mark this special 20th anniversary, they invited some of the students who first took to the halls of the school back for a “Time Machine” celebration! The reel created for social media says it all: tiny preschoolers going in… and the alumni class coming out taller and older, but still smiling as if it were yesterday. Because that’s the thing about this place—it stays with you. Parents often say they wish they could rewind time, walk their child down the hall once more, wave as they climb the stairs, or blow a kiss as they head toward class. At Kids at the Creek, those moments matter. They always have. As we celebrate their 20 years, one thing is clear; this isn’t just a school, it’s a family. A place where community, connection, and childhood wonder never go out of style.

Here’s to 20 years of memories—and the next 20 yet to come.

This past November, the hallways of Kids at the Creek (KATC) weren’t just filled with the sounds of learning and play—they were filled with bags, boxes, and a shared mission of kindness.

As we approached the season of gratitude, our families came together in an extraordinary way to support the Hope Creek Food Bank. While we didn’t set a specific weight goal or a “count” to reach, the sheer volume of generosity was overwhelming. Across 22 classrooms, more than 275 KATC students and their families contributed to a donation that required several cartloads to the Mill Creek Food Bank (The Hope Creek Charitable Foundation).

At KATC, we believe in teaching empathy through action. For several of our students, this wasn’t just a collection bin in the lobby; it was a hands-on experience. A few of our classes took “mini field trips” to deliver the food directly to the food bank. Seeing our students carry in donations—literally putting their small hands to work to help others—is a memory we will cherish.

The impact of these donations cannot be overstated. The Mill Creek Food Bank serves 600 families—representing over 2,000 individuals—every week. In a community as vibrant as ours, it can be easy to overlook the hunger that exists right next door.

The team at the food bank shared their gratitude with our school: “Thank you to Kids at the Creek for donating food to Hope Creek and helping hungry kids. Your kindness brings real hope to the children and families who depend on us. We’re so grateful for your support!”

Our relationship with the food bank extends beyond the November food drive; it is a growing partnership. We are incredibly grateful for our ongoing partnership, which includes the KATC garden beds donated to the preschool by Hope Creek. These spaces allow us to teach our students about sustainability and the joy of growing food from the ground up.

By connecting our students to the source of their food and the importance of sharing it, we are planting seeds of compassion that we hope will grow for a lifetime.

To the parents, grandparents, and students who filled those boxes: Thank you. You didn’t just provide meals; you showed our children what it looks like to be a “neighbor.” We look forward to many more years of partnering with Hope Creek to keep Mill Creek fed and hopeful.