Child Care Needs Community Help By Bonnie Jo Conley-Hanson, trnews2@times-online TLChildcare in Valley City, the city’s only non-profit daycare, needs help from the community. After operating for years with only one rate increase, the center has dipped into its reserve funds making it necessary to implement a significant rate increase for nearly seven dozen children in the center’s care. Between the increase and two generous donations from the community, the center will be able to keep its doors open, but its depleted savings aren’t enough to cover some bigger-ticket items that are currently needed or to provide a buffer in an emergency. TLChildcare was set up as an after-school latch-key program in the late 1980s by concerned community members and has since expanded to include childcare and a baby room that can accommodate eight babies, according to Amy Noeske, a member of the TLChildcare Board of Directors. Located on the bottom floor of St. Catherine’s School, the center is in a location that affords kids use of the gymnasium, the playground, and easy access to a preschool that some of the kids also attend. Kids in the after-school and summer programs go on field trips, visit the pool regularly and participate in other local activities. Initially, the center survived by being very careful of spending in an effort to avoid raising its rates. So, for several years, the rates remained the same. Last year, after careful consideration, rates were raised nominally, according to Noeske. While rates remained stable for several years, costs didn’t. Rent, utilities and food costs have increased. The center participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food program. Initially, the program reimbursed the center for most of its grocery costs, but in recent years, that reimbursement has been minimal, according to TLChildcare Director Amber Ard. A minimum wage increase a few years ago also affected expenses, said Noeske. “At that time, we made a decision not to raise our rates,” said Noeske. “We were very aware that parents had other bills and we didn’t want to lose children that would go home after school and be alone.” Now, though, without the new rate increase, “We would have had to close our doors by June,” figured Ard. Closing TLChildcare would cause a big burden on the community. According to Dana Lindemann, who is charged with licensing child care facilities through Barnes County Social Services, only three center-based childcare facilities in Valley City and 16 home-based child care facilities are available to families seeking childcare. “There’s a definite shortage of childcare in Valley City,” she said. While the center is no longer in danger of closing soon, it still needs help. One of the vans TLChildcare uses to transport kids to various activities is on its last legs. “Sometimes it stalls at stop signs,” said Noeske. Noeske, Ard and Colette Jenson, who also sits on the TLChildcare Board of Directors, would like to find someone in the community to either donate a passenger van or help the center find one. In addition, the center needs new flooring, new toys (the center is unable to accept donations of used toys for safety reasons) and the furniture is worn and dated. “We want to send a message to our kids that they’re important to us so we want to keep good-quality toys and we want to have an appealing-looking area for them,” said Noeske. Anyone wishing to make a donation to TLChildcare can contact Ard at (701) 845-1850. Donations to the center are tax-deductible. Contact TLChildcare for available daycare spots in the baby room, 3-5 year olds and also school age children.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:46:31 +0000
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