Sunflower School is a Christian School, which opened its door on the 24th September 1994 originally as North Kaneshie Nursery and Crèche. Starting out in one small bungalow, the school has expanded over the years and is presently housed on two compounds approximately two hundred meters away from each other.
While running private maternity Clinic (North Kaneshie Maternity Home) in the present administration building, a weekly satellite clinic of the Kaneshie Polyclinic (popularly called “weighing”) was held on the premises for babies and toddlers. I noticed at the time that many of the children who attended the clinic did not attend a nursery or that those who attended one, were not receiving the best care possible. I immediately felt that I could do a better job of providing holistic care to these children to cater for their academic, medical and spiritual needs.
I discussed the idea about starting a Nursery with the Senior Public Health nurse in charge Mrs. Sarah Amissah who readily agreed with me and was very supportive in seeing the idea through. She immediately started sensitizing the mothers who came to the clinic to the fact that a nursery school would be started here soon. The vision of Sunflower School was now born.
It took one year to seek God’s face as well as prepare the needed infrastructure for the project. God was very faithful because His provision was evident in the acquisition of all things necessary for the nursery in many tangible ways. And so it was that on the 24th September, 1994 the doors of this great school opened for the first time and has remained so expect during holiday periods, thus beginning a whole new era of investment into the lives of many children who have entered the school usually at crèche level knowing hardly anything and leaving (after writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) knowledgeable and confident.
According to records, the very first day of school saw the following preschoolers present:
- Faustina Adwapa
- Jeffery Sagoe
- Vide Ayensu
- Nana Osei Bosomtwi
- Benedicta Boateng
- Joel Acquah
- Nii Adjetey Akrong
- Amanda Baidoo
Alongside were the following teachers: Mrs. Charity Dankyi Boateng and Pat Adjei.
The nursery grew and as a result more teachers and care givers had to be employed. The first headmistress of the school was Mrs. Patricia Osei Bonsu, who commenced work at the beginning of July 1995.
Around the same time, arrangements were being made to change the name of the school to Sunflower Early Childhood Development Educational Centre (SECDEC) The new name was duly registered with the Ghana Education Service in August 1995. The vision up to now was only a nursery and crèche.
At the beginning of the new academic year September 1995, total enrollment was approximately sixty five with the breakdown as follows:
- Under Eighteen Months – 6
- Eighteen months to twenty four months – 17
- Two to three years – 27
- Three to four and four years plus – 15
- Number of teachers and care givers – 5
This was a good indication that growth was taking place due to the quality of teaching the children were receiving.
The school observed its first open day and commissioning of a larger school kitchen which was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Fred Deegbe on 23rd October, 1996. The same kitchen is still in use today and is still being used to produce delicious meals for the entire school.