Our History
Butter's Love Academy For Early Learning, LLC opened its doors in 1999. We offer a loving, peaceful, safe, and structured environment for children aged six weeks through school age. We are blessed to have a trained and trusted staff to care for our children and provide excellent educational opportunities. Butter's Love Academy serves the Woodlawn and Clarksville area and is zoned for the following: Liberty Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary, Minglewood Elementary, and Northwest High School. We open our doors, Monday through Friday at 5:30 am and close at 7 pm. Before and after school care is provided. All our staff are CPR and First Aid certified.
After 13 wonderful years of owning and operating Butter's Love Family Home Childcare, God called Lacrecia to another path. For two years, Lacrecia worked with Tabernacle Christian School, providing excellent childcare and education to their students. After her time at TCS, Lacrecia returned to Butter's Love Academy. "My faith has to lead me on a path to meet Addison and Chawanda Reynolds, whom God has used as a vessel to bless us at Butter's Love Academy."
Butter's Love Academy accepts children as young as six weeks and has before and after-care for school-age children. Our doors open Monday - Friday from 5:30 am to 7 pm. We encourage anyone interested in joining our family to please come in for tour our facility, and meet our loving staff.
What We Have To Offer
- State-approved curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten, ABEKA curriculum, bible stories from ABEKA creative curriculum, state standards, and keeping kids safe.
- Staff is participating in the Tecta program at Austin Peay University for continuing their education in Early Child Education
- Staff/Admin are in ongoing professional development training; along with a monthly teacher, meetings held to keep an open, positive, communications relationships.
- CPR and First Aid trained staff
- Enrichment programs for children that include: drama scenes, poetry, music, and more. Allowing our children to enjoy their God-given gifts to build up their confidence.
- More Than Conquerors summer program for school-age children who have completed kindergarten. Butter's monthly newsletter in each classroom. Infants through 4 years old use weekly lessons.
- Lesson plans created to spiral from one classroom to another where every child is being taught with the infant for the same objective.
- Four age-appropriate professional crafted built playgrounds. It is a must-see!
- Extra-curricular: Dance Force of Clarksville, Performing Arts, Soccer, Gymnastics, Accounting, Home Economics, Girl Scouts Troop Number 1059.
- Pre-Kindergarten will be attending field trips: Roxy Regional Theater, Great Escape Matinee, pumpkin patch, visiting a nursing home, Custom House Museum, and Liberty Park.
- Sponsors the Lupus Foundation and the Hope Foundation for the homeless in Nashville, TN.
- Donates to the safe house and sponsors St. Jude Children's Hospital.
- Sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Project
Butter's Love Academy Staff Members
Butter's Love Academy boasts a wonderful staff that loves working with children and feel blessed to help young minds develop and learn. Our staff understands that they are not only teaching children but showing them through example how to treat others and themselves. Each of our staff members is in continuous professional development training to better themselves so that they may better serve the parents. children, and community of Butter's Love Academy.
Lacrecia McRae was born in the historic town of Charleston, S.C. on January 4, 1962. At the age of three, her family relocated to Brooklyn, New York where her mother quickly learned that the fast pace of the big city life was not for a growing teenager. At the age of fourteen, her mother relocated her back to Charleston to reside with her grandparents, who raised her until she was a mature young adult. Her grandparents infused in her a strong religious foundation, teaching her to lean on her faith and to trust in God. This resulted in her membership with Bethel A.M.E. church at an early age. Her faith in Christ led her to her soul mate, retired SFC Willie C. McRae. Their union surpassed the stress and demands of the United States Army, dedicating 21 years of total active duty service. Through this union, they have five children and 11 grandchildren that they cherish deeply.
Butter's Love Home Child Care was a stepping stone of faith when Lacrecia's first grandchild was born 16 years ago. At this point, she decided to forgo her full-time job and to stay home to care for her new grandbaby. She would soon learn that she would be blessed with a granddaughter and instantaneously started calling her Butter. This name would stick with her even after birth. While staying home caring for Butter, Lacrecia's spirit told her to expand the everlasting love she had for Butter to other children, as she understood there was a need for quality childcare within the community. By expanding and sharing her love, she soon realized Butter's Love would be the perfect fit, hence the birth of Butter's Love Home Childcare Center.
Lacrecia has successfully obtained her Child Development Associate, along with maintaining CPR certification and is constantly attending continuing education courses to ensure she's up to date with the latest practices. After 13 years of being the owner and operator of Butter's Love Home Childcare Center, God has directed another path. Currently, the new journey has allowed me to teach pre-kindergarten to 4-year-old children at Tabernacle Christian School. Working at Tabernacle Christian School for two years has given me the opportunity to give back to the school that Butter transitioned too. This position has allowed me to gain additional experience as an educator. I have had the pleasure of working with standardized state testing and proving that I have the ability to help students surpass the recommended requirement. My students have tested well above the kindergarten level for the past two years. My faith has lead me on a path of absolute greatness and I believe that God will allow for nothing less. My loyalty and beliefs have transferred to my students. I believe that we are to train up a child in the way he should go and he shall not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).
God has now placed a new venture in my heart. I am inspired to continue my initial path by creating a new environment for growth, Butter's Love Academy for Early Learning LLC. My vision is to create an environment to mold children academically with Godly character. Parents need to be reassured that their children are being raised with the same moral compass and spiritual foundation that they to work to instill in them. My Academy will provide an excellent educational experience, to include a structured weekly curriculum that will cater to the needs of the individual child, as well as the group, just as I have proven with Tabernacle Christian School. My goal is to bring the meaning of family to my center and back to the community. I put the Lord first in all that I do and with him, nothing is impossible. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto it; Love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matthew 22: 37-39).
Ashle Reyes is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. She has been married for ten years and was blessed with four amazing children. They met when they were teenagers working together. Mrs. Reyes has traveled the world seeing places like Germany, Berlin, the Czech Republic, and many other states in the US like Washington. Her family moved to Tacoma, Washington in 2016. That is where she began her journey in working in childcare. She worked in childcare for two and a half years. During those years working in childcare, she realized this was her calling and that she has a passion for working with children and wanted to make a career out of it. She then went to school for her CDA shortly after her family received orders to be stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in 2018. They moved in 2019 to be stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Upon expanding her journey for looking for childcare, she called Butter’s Love Academy for Early Learning LLC. That is when she spoke to Mrs. McRae about enrolling her child. She was offered a job as a lead teacher to now becoming the Director of Butter’s Love Academy for Early Learning LLC.
Mrs. Crystal is a South Carolina native who married her high school sweetheart, Shayne. Shortly after her marriage, God blessed the happy couple with their first child. Her family was stationed at Fort Campbell in 2015 and God led Crystal to Butter's Love Academy. The family was blessed again in 2017 with their second child. While moving back home for a little while during the period of Shayne getting out of the military and taking a job overseas. Once God saw fit, he leads her entire family and her back to the Butter’s Love Academy Family in 2017 where she has stayed at for the last five years.
Mr. McRae and Mrs. McRae have not only welcomed them through the doors they have opened their hearts to them. As well as, Shayne, their two children, and her entire family.
Over the years while working at Butter’s Love Academy she has gained a lot of experience while working with every age group and has gained wisdom from that.
Crystal has taken on the responsibility of being the General Manager and while she has been on this journey, she is grateful for all the wonderful paths she has been blessed with.
My name is Rosalinda Munoz and I am known as “Granny Rose" the granny of Butter's Love Academy For Early Learning, LLC. She has been working in childcare for five years but has twenty years of experience working with children. She enjoys working, teaching, and getting the kids prepared for school. She relishes working in a place where the word of God is taught, and you’re free to praise and worship God. Ms. Munoz is one of our Spanish teachers, as well as the director of Butter’s Love Academy II, LLC. She is also taken on the role of being our educational coordinator and preparing our teachers for training. Ms. Munoz said, “I’m very grateful that Mr. and Mrs. McRae gave me the opportunity to use my gifts to teach these amazing children at Butter’s Love Academy For Early Learning, LLC. One Team, One Dream. Un equipo y un sueño.” God Bless.
My name is Betti Amos and I am a native of the small town called Clinton in Mississippi. I was Married and gave birth to my first son, which would be the first of eleven, before I completed my senior year in high school. I wasn’t trying to follow in my mother’s footsteps in having eleven children, it just happened that way. The last two girls were twins. I am the blessed mother of seven handsome sons and four beautiful daughters. Also, the grandmother of twenty-one and great-grandmother of two. I was determined that no matter how long it took that I was going to complete my education. I took the practice test, twenty years later and scored high above average; therefore, it was recommended that I skip the classes and take the test. It was advised that I shouldn’t take all the tests in on e day. I felt that I didn’t have much of a choice, expect to take them all in one day. I was with one of my older sisters who was taking the test as well. Although, it was tiring but worth it. I prayed and was blessed to score above average on nearly all of my tests. One scripture I kept before me is; I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I didn’t wait for someone else to make this happen for me, I trusted GOD. Also, I was blessed to stay a breast of education by engaging and helping my children with their school work. After the birth of my twin girls, about three years later, I enrolled in Hinds Community College to further my education in Office Business Technology.
Several years later I was asked by the principal of one of the schools that my6 son attended, to become the school PTA President. The Principal stated that she needed parents like me that would push her against the all for her child. Accepting this office led to a door being opened to become a paid employee in the school. The Principal came to me and asked; “if she can get a position created in the school, would I be willing to accept it?” She stated that she need to keep me on because they needed me in the school. After about six months or more, the position was approved. It was the position of being Parent Coordinator (liaison). In Which there were only a handful of employees occupying that position at the time. Most of the schools in the Jackson Public School District was blessed with a Parent Coordinator. This Is where my work and ministry began as a Parent Coordinator. I worked nearly over ten years working in middles schools.
My duties as a Parent Coordinator included but not limited to; implementing plans, providing resources, communication, and creating ways to enhance and improve parental involvement, between the school, students and community. Conduct workshops, meeting and organize a Parent board for the support of the school. Create programs to help both the parent, family and students. I worked with Middle School students who often produce behavior problems. I used incentives to support and promote positive behavior improvement for the students. I worked faithfully and diligently for a little over ten years.
Mrs. McRae and I was conversating one day and she asked me what was it that I wanted to do at the Academy. I just began to tell her about the Parent Coordinator position that I had before with the school. I wasn’t looking for work. Mrs. McRae asked if I would become Parent Coordinator for Butter’s Love. I wasn’t expecting that. She said that she didn’t know anything about a Parent Coordinator but she would like to have one for Butter’s Love Academy. This began my journey at Butter’s Love Academy For Early Learning, LLC.
I was called to serve as an Evangelist by the Lord in 1980 to work in the Evangelical field, after being filled with Holy Ghost.