BY ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

MARIETTA--Father Pat Bishop, pastor of Transfiguration Church, had a dream to start a Catholic child care center at his parish. In September 1997, that dream became a reality.

With 50 children, six weeks to four years old, enrolled, Transfiguration's Child Care Center is the first Catholic daycare center in the archdiocese.

"The main difference between a preschool and child care is that we are open 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. every day, where a preschool is usually a three-hour program that children attend two or three days a week," said Barbara Pieczko, the center's director. "We do try very hard to present a preschool curriculum in the morning."

Nicknamed TLC by the staff, Pieczko said that the center is unique from commercial day care centers.

"We are unique in the fact that we are a place of love," Pieczko said. "Our staff is a group of very caring and loving individuals. One parent said she could feel the love just in the hallway. You can't describe it, but there's definitely something different about us."

Father Bishop said that parents who work can be at ease while their children are at TLC.

"I think parents who work need a lot of help, because they are under such pressure and tension. Daycare may not be the ideal situation, but it's a reality," Father Bishop said. "We want to provide a safe, healthy Christian place for the kids."

The center has four separate classrooms. Children are placed in areas for infants, for toddlers, for two and young three-year-olds or for older three and young four-year-olds.

Betty Koeller, the lead teacher for the oldest group, has a preschool through fifth grade teaching certificate. She said that the individual attention children receive is what makes the center special.

"We have more one on one with the children," Koeller said. "We have a really nice facility and there is a good feeling among the staff and faculty. We help each other out."

Cindy Lippert, assistant director, had her own in-home day care center for seven years before she joined the staff at Transfiguration. She said she is happy with her decision.

"I love the kids and the people that are here," Lippert said. "It's a happy place."

Pieczko said another difference is that unlike commercial centers Transfiguration staff can teach religion to the children.

"One of the major differences between us and commercial day care centers is that we teach religion," Pieczko said. "We teach the basic ideas--God made me (and) I am special."

Father Bishop said that there is a lot of pressure on the center to become a part of the Georgia pre-K program, which is funded by the state lottery. However, the program states that there can be no religion in the curriculum, including prayer.

"We're just not going to do it. (The center) is designed to be an outreach ministry at the parish," Father Bishop said. "We are not going to go with a program that doesn't allow us to express our Christian identity."

He also said that, although not joining the lottery-funded program hurts them financially, it is important for the center to maintain its ministry status, which means most of the funding comes from Transfiguration.

"It's not designed to be a moneymaker. It's a ministry," Father Bishop said. "We just want to break even. Whatever money we make goes right back into the program."

Father Bishop is also proud of the center.

"Barbara and Cindy are incredible. The faculty is so loving and caring and attentive," Father Bishop said.

Although most of the children are Transfiguration parishioners, Pieczko said, the center is open to everyone and they do have children from other churches, as well as other faiths.

Jenny Christoffersen, whose three-year-old son, Steffen, attends the center, is a member of a Unitarian church. They moved to Marietta from Denmark and she said that she searched for the right place for her son before deciding on Transfiguration.

"He was in day care in Denmark and when we moved here, we looked long and hard to find another place for him," Christoffersen said. "The staff really loves the kids. (There is) constant love, care, consistency and stability. We couldn't be more pleased."

Pieczko said she would like to see the center grow.

"I think (Father Bishop) saw a need in the community. It was a dream of his to have a Christian Catholic daycare center," Pieczko said. "I would like to see it grow and prosper and fulfill Father Pat's dream."