Because We Care Learning Academy 2 opens its doors

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

When Because We Care Learning Academy opened its doors in Temple nearly a year ago, it took a few months for the childcare center to fill to capacity.
Now, Because We Care Learning Academy 2 has opened a location in Copperas Cove at 903 MLK Jr. Dr. 
Morgan Yarbrough is the center’s director and comes from the Temple location. 
“We’ve had a waiting list, so we were going to branch out, no matter what, with another center,” Yarbrough said. “We actually posted on Facebook and asked where a daycare was most needed, and pretty much everyone said, Copperas Cove.”
The site for the center had previously been a daycare and is now ready for children ages 0-12, and has a capacity for 105, and is open from 5:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 
Yarbrough has been working in an early childhood/daycare center since she was 17 and looks forward to continuing to do so here in Copperas Cove, where she has plans to move very soon. 
“I love kids,” Yarbrough said. “I went in as a second (teacher), then I was a lead teacher for a toddler room, and I stuck with the toddler room. Then when I was 19, I started managing.” 
Rebekah Aguallo works with Yarbrough as the center’s manager and also has had a long-term career in daycare. 
“I enjoy it. I don’t have kids of my own, but I love children and I have a big family. My mom worked in a daycare and has done it for 20-plus years,” said Aguallo. “So I did it with my mom, enjoyed it, stuck with it, and moved up from there.” 
The center’s space is divided into six classrooms: the nursery, a one-year-old room, two toddler rooms, a prekindergarten room, and a kindergarten 1 room. 
As far as activities go, Yarbrough said the center follows a daily curriculum, with a variety of activities to include circle time, art activities, dance and movement, outdoor time, story time, and free play. Outdoor time may include classic games like hide ‘n seek, red rover, freeze tag, along with free play time. 
“We have a schedule the teachers follow every day. We have circle time, when they sit down and do the calendar. They also work on their ABCs, go over their colors, shapes and numbers,” said Yarbrough. 
For example, one of the projects was making alligators from the letter A, with other activities including things like making paper plate apples, circle painting with cups, and making a ladybug plate. Inside each classroom a calendar is posted so parents can see the lesson plans for the week. The front desk area also has a dry erase board for center announcements.  
Where the center’s prekindergarten and kindergarten programs are concerned, both are full-day programs, Monday through Friday, with a collection of games, puzzles, and books to supplement instruction. 
All meals are included in childcare fees, with the center providing nutritional meals as part of a food program, said Yarbrough. Both she and Aguallo trade off with the food preparation. One of the meals, for example, was a chicken burrito bowl, with peaches and corn. 
For the month of August, the center has free registration with enrollment and is open for tours every day. Because We Care 2 can be reached at (254) 518-6777 or online at https://www.facebook.com/Because-We-Care-Learning-Academy-2-210694159740...