Dozens of parents, children, teachers and leaders gathered March 11 to celebrate the new 10,000-square-foot Roper St. Francis Learning Center at 16 Farmfield Ave. a stone’s throw from the proposed Whole Foods location.
“This gorgeous Roper St. Francis Learning Center is a testament to the importance Roper St. Francis (RSF) places on its teammates and their family members, specifically their children,” said RSF President and Chief Executive Officer David Dunlap. “In fact, no other competing healthcare system in the Lowcountry offers this kind of opportunity to their employees.”
Since September 1988, the Roper St. Francis Learning Center has been entrusted with the care of more than 1,500 children. The new, improved and expanded Learning Center will ensure we care for hundreds more children in the decades to come.
“Every detail of this building was carefully thought out and discussed, all the way down to the calming paint colors used throughout the building,” said Melanie Stith, vice president of Human Resources. “We wanted to provide an atmosphere that both set the children at ease and helped our teachers in every way possible. Even the paint color used throughout the building is called ‘Patience.’”
Other RSF Learning Center features include bathrooms in every classroom so teachers don’t have to leave the room. Each classroom has a door leading out to the playgrounds. And low walls in classrooms provide privacy for our sleeping children and a way for teachers to observe them.
The majority of the Learning Center’s teachers have worked there for 10 or more years, and several teachers there for 20-plus years. Two teachers in particular have worked at the Learning Center since Day 1.
Irene Steed in the Sea Stars infant program has been with RSF since 1988, and Rachael Turner in the Jelly Fish program for 2-year-olds has also served that long. Stith recognized both teachers during an afternoon ceremony during which milk and cookies were served.
“There’s a reason why the parents of children who have graduated from the Roper St. Francis Learning Center continue to embrace their former teachers, call them by their first names, ask about their lives and then, finally, thank them for their dedication,” said Stith. “That reason is the phenomenal quality and dedication of our teachers.”

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