Three years ago, Tanna Bush was recovering from what she calls a nearly-lethal mix of typhoid and COVID-19 — something she fiercely battled during a seven-month mission trip to Haiti.
This summer, she’s pushing into her third year as head of the Cadiz Baptist Church Christian Academy.
For her, and for CBCCA, a lot has changed for the better in this span.
Earlier this week, she gave a considerable update on herself, as well as on some of the inner-workings about the preschool to the Cadiz Rotary Club.
A 2016 graduate of Trigg County High School, Bush spent three years between the University of Kentucky and Hopkinsville Community College, graduating quickly and turning to employment at a pre-school in Lexington.
When COVID-19 first arrived in America, Bush returned home before being called to serve in this international orphanage — a place she said she misses, and will be returning to later this year.
Less than a year into her mission, serious sickness struck her.
When this job came available, Bush said she simply took a chance. She knew she was following in the footsteps of CBCCA creator and revered retired educator Linda Rhudy as well as other respected officials in Donna Patrick, Beth Ricks and Laura Lancaster.
She wanted to again work with pre-school kids, and CBCCA pushes those aged 1-to-4 (or 5, after August 1) to learn about God and the Bible’s teachings.
However, Bush noted there’s a Kentucky-based curriculum preparing the state’s youngest students for kindergarten.
And it’s much more than a daycare.
A majority of the program’s teachers, she said, possess either a college degree or a childhood development associates. Employees are CPR trained, and the school is licensed through Kentucky with a four-star ranking as a child center. Katie Moore, of the John L. Street Library, frequently reads to group, as well.
Attendance dipped during and after the pandemic, but CBCCA is back up to 45 students this fall — up from 28 in 2021 and 38 in 2022. Under her tenure, 20 students have been promoted to kindergarten, and the facility is licensed for 77 children — meaning there is a considerable need for more teachers.
Grants, Bush said, “keep the place running.” A $10,000 grant last summer painted their building for the first time since 1999, and ARPA funds running from November 2021 to this July are assisting with a wide variety of budgetary items.
This includes a much-needed new playground.
For the first time and during this past school year, a “Coin War” between the classes raised more than $850 for the annual Cadiz Rotary Club Radio Auction. Bush promised a pizza party to the winning group, before “pushing over” and throwing one for the whole school.
Those who opt in to the pre-K program don’t have to be members of Cadiz Baptist Church. It’s open to anybody, and Bush noted kids come from as far as Hopkinsville and Crofton seeking family care and learning.
Full-day tuition is $450 per month, while half-day is $250.
For more information, Bush can be contacted at 82 Main Street in Cadiz, or by phone at (270) 522-6002.