(Danville) — Danville school employees could soon have a new option for child care.
School Superintendent Doctor Angela Hairston Thursday presented a proposal to the School Board to turn a small portion of the current Johnson Elementary School building into an after-school child care facility for their employees. “There is a Kindergarten hallway that runs parallel to the Northside Preschool at Johnson,” Hairston told the Board. “That hallway has an ideal setting for daycare when closed to students.”
Hairston says they’re not trying to get into the day care business, but the new facility would address an acute shortage of local child care options. “The Center for Early Success will work with us on finding grant funding for furniture to make sure the facility is equipped at an appropriate level,” Hairston said. “They will help us with an RFP to ensure that there is a company that will run this center for our employees.”
A recent study showed just over half of the city and county is considered a child care desert, meaning there’s inadequate access to quality child care. It would take over 800 slots to close the gap, with 58% of local child care sites reporting a waitlist. Some parents have cut their work hours or turned down job offers because of the lack of options. Others had passed up a promotion or left the work force.
“Our employees won’t have to worry about leaving the workforce until their child reaches pre-school age, or using informal childcare,” Hairston said. “We will of course meet all of the standards required by the state. We would operate at the market rate.”
And Hairston notes this won’t be the first after-school activity the School System has operated. “We already work with the Boys and Girls Club and Danville Parks and Recreation. So we feel pretty good about our after-school care,” Hairston said.
After getting a license and a vendor, the plan would be to open the facility up next fall. “By then the students at Johnson would be at Arnett Hills. It would be a shame to demolish a part of a facility that we could use to support our employees,” Hairston added.
The Danville School Board will vote on the after-school child care proposal at a later date.