About Us
Our history
Barvinok 2 Ukrainian Childcare Center was officially opened on December 2, 2019. However, the history of our childcare center began back in 2015, when proactive Ukrainian mothers created a small children's group at St Basil Seminary, where their children had the opportunity to spend time together, play, and learn about the traditions and culture of Ukraine.
Currently, Barvinok 2 is located in one of the three buildings of the Ukrainian Catholic Seminary that housed a high school, St. Basil's Preparatory School, from 1933 to 1990. Later, this building was used for the archive of the Ukrainian library, and in 2018, the remodeling and preparation of the premises for our childcare center began.
And today, after much renovation work inside and the installation and fencing of the playground, our childcare center is a beautiful, comfortable and safe place where children receive quality care, develop and learn through play in a Ukrainian environment.
Ulyana Filinskyy
Co-founder
Iryna Lencyk
Co-founder
Petro Duda
Co-founder
Director and head teacher
“When I was at a preschool myself as a child, I remember telling my teacher that I would also one day be a teacher. No, no adult can be more important than a child! There are no bad children, you just need to be able to understand them.”
Lesya Vladymyrenko
Director
Administrator
“My motto is do what you love, love what you do. That’s why, driven by my deep love for children and Ukraine, I have been working at the Ukrainian childcare center Barvinok 2 since its opening, doing the work I truly love.”
Yulia Maryniuk
Administrator
Teacher
“The world can be cruel and strong, my task as a teacher is to bring to children kindness, which will help them to survive and give them the strength to fight for themselves.”
Viktoria Zauholnova
Teacher
Teacher
“To be a good teacher, you need to love what you teach and love those you are teaching!”
Nadiya Koval
Teacher
Teacher
“I come to our childcare center to teach, but I always leave a little more educated myself. Children help me discover simple truths, see beauty in little things, and never forget that we are all children in our hearts.”
Olesia Kalynchuk
Teacher
Teacher’s assistant
“I give children warmth, support, and kindness, because I believe that kind words and a sincere attitude can create small miracles and inspire children to be sensitive and open to the world.”
Olha Kyrych
Teacher’s assistant
Music teacher
My worldview changes throughout life under the influence of new people, places of residence, and surroundings. However, one thing remains constant – I love working with children and teaching them music in a way that brings benefit, joy, and satisfaction to both the children and their parents.”
Mariya Kurchak
Music teacher
Idea and Mission
The idea of creating our childcare center came from the initial experience of raising preschoolers in the Ukrainian community in the U.S.. Many children who were born in, or moved to the US at a very early age would pick up English and American culture very quickly, but begin to refrain from speaking their parents’ native language.
Our mission is to preserve and pass on to our children Ukrainian language, culture, traditions, and Christian values and to instill in them a love for everything Ukrainian from early childhood. We teach children how important it is to preserve Ukrainian identity in this multinational environment and to be proud of their Ukrainian identity.
We are committed to providing high quality care and education for children in a welcoming and safe environment that promotes a child’s holistic development.
We also acknowledge, value and respect the cultures and religions of all the children and families represented in our childcare center, creating an atmosphere of acceptance and mutual respect.
Staff
The staff of our childcare center is a team of experienced, caring, and qualified educators who care about the holistic development of children and create a comfortable environment for each child.
Our teachers have degrees in early childhood, attend annual training and courses for professional development, and use modern educational methods in their work with children.