Child Care Director
Melissa R. Ward is our Director for the Gail and Terry Richardson Center for the Child. She received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from FMU in 1995 and her Master of Education in Instructional Accommodation from FMU in 2016. She has taught 5K in Florence School District One, and 3K at Central United Methodist Church Preschool. She was director for Central UMC Preschool prior to coming to the Center for the Child. Melissa is a member of the South Carolina Early Childhood Association and the South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children. She has two children, Cameron and Hailey, who are both students in Florence School District One.
mward@fmarion.edu
Lead Teachers
Anna Stone is teaching our twos class this year. Anna has been at the Center since 2011, working primarily as an assistant in our toddler class while she attended the graduate program in Psychology at FMU. She graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Coker College in 2010 and received her masters in Psychology from FMU in 2013. Anna is enjoying having her own class, and putting into practice all she has learned in child development skills with our two year olds. She is from originally from Cheraw, S.C. and is married to Colin.
Martha Floyd is the lead teacher in the four year old class. She lives and grew up in Florence, SC. She previously worked at the center as an assistant in the threes classroom and graduated from Francis Marion University in 2016 with a BS in Early childhood education. She is excited to learn and grow along with the 4 year olds this year!
We are currently accepting applications for lead teachers. Apply Here!