Children of the Promise was founded by Bud and Jan Bonnema, a couple from Minnesota. Their drive and passion to start COTP rooted from a week-long mission trip in October, 1999. During that trip, they were overwhelmed by the need to care for orphaned or very ill babies. They were asked to help three babies on three separate occasions. Feeling called back to Haiti to help serve the sick and malnourished infants and orphans, Bud and Jan started the early works of COTP.  Soon after, Jan moved down to Cap Haitian, Haiti into a small apartment.

In August of 2001, COTP moved into another missions compound next to the land they had purchased, in Lagossette, and began to build what now makes up COTP. In 2003, the construction was finished and COTP moved to the current facilities. Since this time, because of generous donors and the grace of God, COTP has grown its size and has added multiple programs and buildings to the campus in order to serve the community.