The bedrooms at the Central Florida Children’s Home look like any other for a child – toys strewn on the floor and posters of the Avengers or Disney princesses on the walls. But the two sets of bunk beds on either wall set it apart, as does the enormous dining table for house dinners and the gigantic backyard that features a playground.

The kids are all at school, Eastland Christian, when I visit, so it’s eerily quiet on my tour. 

Andrea Conway, a registered nurse and staff member who works with the kids daily as a house parent, learned about the home in 2009 when she began attending Eastland Baptist Church. She talks about how she got started working there with a warm fondness for her work.

“I thought, ‘Well, this is really great,’ and I loved children,” Conway said. “We went to the home, and after meeting the kids, it was lunchtime and the pastor asked me to show the girls how to make grilled cheese sandwiches. I’ve been going out there ever since.”

Central Florida Children’s Home is open for parents who don’t feel that they can beneficially watch over their children. Parents can ensure that their kids will attend a good school, eat when they want to, play in a gigantic backyard, and have emotional support while they get back on their feet.

To some parents, it’s a relief that their kids can stay together and be visited easily, according to Renee Carmichael, the office administrator.

“[Parents] know that they can come to pick up their kids anytime they want,” Carmichael said. “The children can be loved and cared for while they get back on their feet. Unlike the state, where if they take your kids, it’s a long process to get them back.”

Earlier in life, Conway went back to school to transition from business to medicine and immediately started working with infant patients. After spending time in Michigan to tend to her parents, Conway returned to Florida.

“When I got back to Orlando, we got more involved with the church, and I started working for the pastor,” Conway said. “I get to go over to the Christian school that’s part of the church and help with the kids. If any of them show up with weird rashes or boo-boos, I get to see what I can do for them.”

Conway will often spend an entire day at the Children’s Home, starting at 5 a.m. The house will have breakfast, and then she and the other house parents will make sure that the kids get ready for school, their lunches are packed, and they accomplish their morning chores. Before the kids leave for school, they will read the Bible and “talk about what it means and how we can apply it to our daily lives,” Conway said.

Tuition for school is paid through scholarships and donations to the home. Carmichael estimates that it costs about $1,000 a day to keep everything running, which is mainly collected through small donors.

The kids may be back at the house as late as 5:30 p.m. due to after-school activities. As soon as their homework is done, they’re allowed to play outside or with their toys and video games inside. Everyone eats dinner together, and then it’s time for showers, dinner and bed.

“Every one of these kids come with damages, every one of them,” Conway said. “I’ve learned more about problems for children and the difficulties they face growing up in unstable and unsafe environments. And what happens to kids emotionally when a parent walks out or if there are drug problems. It’s one thing to learn about it book-wise, but it’s another thing to see it and how these kids live with it every day and try to overcome it.”

To donate to the Central Florida Children’s home, visit: https://www.centralfloridachildrenshome.com/donate