ACAP Child and Family Services in Les Gove Park started out life in the education wing of White River Presbyterian Church 38 years ago.

ACAP moved to Les Gove Park in 1979, settling on one acre of property leased from the City of Auburn for $1 a month. Ultimately, it grew into three portable buildings west of the old YMCA building.

Come November ACAP, which has to leave the park to make way for Auburn’s new community center, will be back where it all started – the education wing of White River Presbyterian Church.

And that comes as a tremendous relief to ACAP and its supporters, who have been busy scouting out a new locale for the better part of this year.

“We have talked to other churches about existing buildings or about raw land to move our buildings to,” said ACAP Board member Martha Hoss. “Nothing worked out until we talked to White River Presbyterian. And the church is thrilled to have ACAP.”

ACAP will occupy all of the education rooms, remodeling them, painting them, adding bathrooms, bringing everything up to code to satisfy the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

“The original direction for that wing was child care,” Hoss said. “The rooms are in a perfect situation to run day care, though they need a little work to bring them up to date. We are getting capital grants to do that. The church has offered for us to lease this space for very little rent as a non profit. We will be responsible for upgrades.”

Hoss said ACAP hopes to sell its portable buildings. If they can’t be sold, they will have to be abandoned.

ACAP began in 1970 when a group of community leaders in Auburn gathered to talk about ways to help families become employed or stay that way. Those leaders were convinced that providing good child care was one such solution. The Auburn Christian Action Program Daycare Association then formed to provide safe, affordable child care.

According to Debi Taylor-Hough, director of neighborhood outreach programs at White River Presbyterian Church, saying yes to ACAP was not a tough call.

“We have a real heart for reaching out to our community,” said Taylor-Hough. “We are trying to meet the needs of families around us. So to have 65 kids in our building every day, Monday to Friday with parents and teachers there is exactly the type of thing we want to do. We really have had a good working relationship with ACAP.

“…We don’t use those rooms much during the week, so that is a great way for that part of the building to be used,” Taylor-Hough said.

At the request of the ACAP board, Michael Hursh, human services manager for the city of Auburn, helped work out the lease agreement.

“The city views this as a huge plus because ACAP is dedicated to serving people,” Hursh said. “It means there is a resource for special needs kids and families, who without ACAP would not have access to quality child care like it provides on a daily basis for 70 plus kids in our community.

“It’s a great thing,” Hursh added. “They consistently serve families with love and care. While that has the risk of going unnoticed, certainly the impact is felt in the community.”

ACAP is hosting a fundraiser and open house at 5 p.m., Oct. 9 in the Fireside Room at White River Presbyterian Church, 526 12th St. S.E.