Our History

Daybreak began as a vision in 1984. At that time, the Frederick Evangelical Church was blessed with two large bequests. In an effort to determine the best use for these new found funds, the church embarked on a deliberate process of assessing community needs with the intent of using the funds for mission work in the Frederick area. After much thought and research, the church voted in 1986 to allocate funds for a ministry targeting the community’s senior citizens.

Soon after, the idea for an adult day care center emerged as the church’s focus. Several active parishioners took the lead to develop the plan and in 1988, Daybreak was incorporated as a non-secular, non-profit adult day care center. The first Board of Directors consisted of three of the original church members as well as seven others from the Frederick Community. In April of 1989, the center opened its doors to its first participants.

The center moved in to its current location on Rocky Springs Road in 1993. A major addition and expansion project in 1999 allowed the center to continue to grow to meet the growing need in the county. We are currently licensed by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to accommodate 70 participants each day. In 2001, the center expanded its services by obtaining a license (through the Maryland Department of Aging) to operate a Senior Center Plus Program on site. In 2004, the Board of Directors extended a contract to El Shaddai Health Care, which manages not-for-profit and for-profit medical adult day care centers in Baltimore and Southern Maryland, and they continue to support operations at the center today.

Daybreak has grown in space, enrollment, and in expertise over the years. We are able to serve participants with a wide variety of needs in a joyful and dignified manner, and in doing so, allow their family caregivers a much needed respite from their day-to-day caregiving responsibilities.