Our History

In the summer of 1984 three men from the Twin Cities area formed a child care program called "Noah's Ark".  I had just completed my BA degree from Bethel College in Social Work, was married and a new mom of a four month old.  Knowing I wanted to use my degree and be a mom, I was approached to work at Noah's Ark on a part time basis for the summer.  By fall I became the Director of one of the centers and within a year was asked if I wanted to purchase the company.

Growing up in a family of three kids my mother always had many other children in our home that she cared for.  Her love of children was contagious and she enjoyed all the aspects of watching children grow and develop.  It was clear to me that God was calling my mother and me to work together while nurturing children in an environment like home.
 
In 1986 my parents purchased Noah's Ark.  We worked together for four years until my mother decided to stay at home and care for her six grandchildren.

In 2002 my husband Greg and I purchased Noah's Ark from my parents and to this day enjoy watching children and their families develop, blossom and learn from each other.
 
I feel very blessed to have been in this business for over 30 years and look forward to serving families and my staff for many years to come.

Beth Held,
President

Our Mission

Noah's Ark Child Development Center is committed to the well-being and development of your children, understanding that each child is a unique person with his/her individual pattern, the timing of growth, and development.

Our staff at Noah’s Ark are loving, respectful, qualified, and well-trained. Many of our employees have been with us for over 10 years. We take pride in our staff retention.

An environment and experiences that encourage each child to develop in all five developmental areas - social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative.

A positive environment in which children develop self-esteem and positive feelings toward learning.

A child care program that challenges and nurtures children equally with respect to gender, race, and religion.

NAEYC Accredited

Early childhood programs accredited by the NAECY Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation have voluntarily undergone a comprehensive process of internal self-study and improvement.  Each NAEYC- Accredited program must meet all 10 of the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards.  NAEYC Accreditation is the mark of quality for accredited programs. 

To earn a Four Star Rating, programs proudly use the best practices that prepare children for school and life.

• Exemplifies a truly engaged school readiness partner for parents

• Ongoing assessment of child’s progress

• Continually adapts lesson plans and goals to meet individual needs

• Regularly updates parents on child’s progress

• Trained on children’s developmental disabilities

• Communicates across cultures

• Receives and documents on-going childhood-related education