In the Coastal Bend, Bethune has led the way as the oldest child development nursery, the first state-licensed child development nursery for low-income families, and the first USDA Child Care Food Program ( 5 meals daily) assisting the qualified disadvantaged poor. Bethune is the first integrated child development program in the area and adheres to the early educational guidelines of both the State of Texas early education guidelines(TAKS) for young children and The National Association for the Education of Young Children in providing a high-quality child development education. Bethune is currently licensed to serve 120 children (ages 0-12) in our four age-appropriate buildings (Infant/Toddler (0-36 mos.), Pre-K (3-5 yrs.), School Age (6-12 yrs.) and multi-purpose gym). Bethune also assists parents of school agers(5-12yrs) by picking students up from seven local CCISD schools and during the summer months the program turns into a camp program and students are present for the day's activities. Bethune is open M-F from 6:30am to 6:00pm .